


Ena Leifa and the Meeting of Beasts

by CompassUniverse



Series: The Untold Beasts [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, All houses, Animals, Gen, Gryffindor, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Largely follows canon, Merpeople, Multi, Pre-Golden Trio, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Werewolf, Will Probably Reference Fantastic Beasts, also on Wattpad, beasts - Freeform, but this is better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2018-10-28 19:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10837557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CompassUniverse/pseuds/CompassUniverse
Summary: Ena's muggle family threw out the first few letters from Hogwarts, believing them to be pranks. It takes the head of Hufflepuff coming to their house to get the message properly across. The young witch is far from overwhelmed by the magical world. In fact, it's rather familiar. And just like in the normal forests, all the beasts she meets love her.The First Year





	1. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Ena's wand wood type: Applewood wands are not made in great numbers. They are powerful and best suited to an owner of high aims and ideals, as this wood mixes poorly with Dark magic. It is said that the possessor of an apple wand will be well-loved and long-lived, and I have often noticed that customers of great personal charm find their perfect match in an applewood wand. An unusual ability to converse with other magical beings in their native tongues is often found among apple wand owners, who include the celebrated author of Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs, Dylan Marwood.  
> I took a test using her persona on Pottermore.  
> And here is Simone's: This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.  
> I'll copy over more of the Pottermore Wand info if you guys like seeing this. Please tell me so I know.

Vane Liefa pressed a kiss to his daughter's head, and then he stepped back to meet Ena's bright green eyes. His own soft blue eyes twinkled as he smiled down at her. "Be good, okay? And don't forget to write."

"Wreak some havoc with my gift, too!" Ban added, bouncing in place as he beamed at his two years older sister.

"No, don't do that! I don't even know how to deal with a magical school, let alone a letter from them telling me that my daughter blew up the bathrooms!"

"You gave me something that can blow up the bathrooms?" Ena looked excitedly at Ban, who grinned and shrugged, wriggling in place.

Vane moaned, shaking his head despite the affectionate smile. "You're lucky I love you two so much," he sighed.

The children beamed at him, Ena's fluffy red hair standing out more than Ban's black hair in the crowd of people around Platform Nine. Ena glanced past her dad, eyes flicking around for another dark haired woman, and Vane sighed, smiling apologetically.

"You know she'd be here if she could. Your mom wasn't expecting the call."

Ena smiled back. "I know. Her work is important."

"But so are you." Vane kissed her forehead again. "Make sure you write," he repeated.

"I will." Ena smiled, tightening her hold on the trolley of school supplies that Professor Rain had helped her buy. She was brimming with excitement, but Ban was showing his excited energy much more clearly than her.

He leaned forward to reveal the reason for his secondhand excitement; "Make sure you send me some magical candy."

Ena scrunched her nose at him, suppressing a giggle. "I'll try." She looked at the Platform. "Okay. Time for me to run straight into a brick wall," she muttered, turning the trolley away from her family and slowly approaching the wall. She let out a slow breath, staring at the bricks. Professor Rain had clearly stated that the 3/4 part was through the wall. And she wanted to believe him. But it was a wall. She glanced at her dad, who mimed taking a deep breath and letting it soothingly out.

Professor Rain hadn't said whether or not 'muggles' could go through the wall, and Ena didn't want to chance her dad breaking his nose on a wall. Or her little brother, for that matter.

"First time?" asked a sympathetic voice to her right.

Ena looked at the woman, her mind freezing up like it usually did around new people. She was taller than Ena by quite a lot and had long black hair with blue highlights. Her eyes were pale gray, and she wore a long blue dress with a eagle over her heart. The woman coughed uncertainly and Ena quickly nodded.

"A little nervous?"

Ena nodded again.

"My daughter just went through. Would you like me to come through with you?"

"If you don't mind," Ena squeaked, her light cheeks reddening at the strangeness of her voice.

The woman smiled. "Where are your parents?"

Ena looked around and spotted her dad. He was blindfolded by Ban's hands, because he had lifted Ban onto his shoulders. She smiled and pointed at them.

"They don't want to come through?"

"They can?" Ena asked, eyes brightening.

"Of course!"

Ena swiftly darted over to her dad and pulled on Ban's foot to let their dad see. "You can come through," she reported.

"Really?" Ban instantly dropped down and darted forward, running through the wall without hesitating.

"Ban!" Ena cried, running after him.

Vane stared at the wall where his children had vanished, then at Ena's abandoned trolley. He smiled and pulled it over, eyeing the wall. "What is on the other side?" he asked the amused woman.

"The Hogwarts Express." She smiled. "My name is Laurane. Laurane Vasquez. I was a Ravenclaw."

"Vane Leifa." Vane pushed the trolley slowly through the wall, smiling when he saw Ena sitting on top of Ban with a pleased smile. Laurane followed him through.

"Simone!" she called.

Vane picked his daughter off of Ban and made sure she was holding onto her trolley as he placed Ban on his shoulders again. "Ravenclaw is the smart house, right?" he asked Laurane.

"That's right." She inclined her head to the side. "Are you...a muggle, perhaps?"

Vane nodded, looking over as a smaller version of Laurane ran up. "Is this your daughter?"

"She is. My little first year." Laurane smiled and turned to her. "Simone, this is..." She looked at Ena.

"Ena." Ena dodged when Ban kicked his shoe off at her and gleefully tickled her brother's foot in retaliation. He frantically kicked out to avoid her and Vane loosened his grip on Ban's ankles to let his son slide backward over his back.

"Ena. Why don't you let her sit with you?" Laurane asked.

Simone looked at Ena, sizing her up. "Sure. I already put my bags in a compartment. Come on."

"Okay. Bye, dad! Love you both." Ena hugged her father briefly, then moved to follow Simone.

"I wish you luck to be in Ravenclaw," Laurane called. "It's the house of the brilliant!"

Ena flashed a smile over her shoulder and followed Simone onto the train, lifting her bags once they were close. Simone walked into a compartment that smelled like caramel and pennies and sat down, not offering to help as Ena stretched onto her toes to push her bags onto the shelf. Once Ena took a seat, Simone started to talk.

"I'm sorry about my mom. She can be such a bore sometimes. I mean, Ravenclaw is pretty great, yeah, and I'm definitely in it, but I guess she is a pretty cool lady. I'm a pureblood, what about you? Which house do you want? I definitely don't want to be in Slytherin, no matter what. That house is definitely evil, and Hufflepuff is just plain boring. They're lame, you know? They just, like, sit and eat. What's your wand made of? Mine is ebony with a raven feather core. Ebony is really strong, you know. You'd be surprised by how powerful..."

She kept talking and Ena zoned out. Were ravens magical, anyway? Ena liked her wand. It was light brown and Mr. Ollivander had said it was extremely swishy and flexible. It was applewood, with a unicorn hair core, and 13.5 inches long. Ena kept it in the sleeve of her sweater, where it was a warm, familiar pressure against her arm. She loved it. Simone kept talking, going into how good it was to be a pureblood, and how she planned to find a good pureblood husband.

The cabin door slid open and Simone gasped, suddenly silent. Ena looked away from the brick wall outside the window and studied the large boy. He was even taller than Vane, with massive shoulders and thick, messy black hair. His clothes looked thin and worn. He had a kind, hopeful smile and warm eyes. He smiled tentatively as he said, "Everywhere else is full. At least...too full for me. Can I sit in here?"

Simone tried to motion for Ena to say no and was ignored.

"Sure." Ena moved over and he smiled, relaxing visibly as he shuffled in to sit next to her.

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid," he said, offering her a massive hand.

"Ena Leifa." She shook his hand, watching how his whole hand swallowed half her arm.

"What year are you?"

"First."

"Me too!" Rubeus smiled. "I'm a bit nervous," he whispered.

Ena nodded. "Me too. I'm excited, too, though."

Simone glanced reproachfully at Rubeus a few times, then pretended he didn't exist and started talking about Ravenclaw again. She didn't stop again until the snack trolley rolled in. They all sat forward, Rubeus looking hungrily at the things, and Ena pulled out a few bronze knuts. Professor Rain had helped her set up an account and transferred muggle money into it. She handed the money to Rubeus.

At his shocked expression, she shrugged and said, "I don't know what anything is."

Rubeus grinned. "Thank you." He looked at the cart, picking up a box of jellybeans, something like licorice, and two pretty blue boxes. He handed over the payment and gave one of the blue boxes and change to Ena, setting the other candy between them to share. "That's a chocolate frog," he told her. "They have wizard cards in them. I've tried to collect them, but I can never remember what I have."

Ena smiled and carefully opened the box. A card fell out. She bent to pick it up, absently patting the head of the chocolate frog inside the box. "Salazar Slytherin," she murmured, looking at the squinting man in the card.

"What does it say?" Rubeus asked eagerly.

"Cofounder of Hogwarts. Inventor and builder of the Chamber of Secrets. Gave his name to one of the four houses. Was one of the first recorded Parselmouths, an accomplished Legilimens, and a notorious champion of pureblood supremacy." Ena looked at the silver-green eyes of the man as he considered her. He smiled, then moved out of sight. "He's gone," she mumbled.

"Course he is. That's what they do." Rubeus looked at the frog that was stretching up to make her continue petting him. "You going to eat that?"

"Eat?" Ena's eyes widened. The frog blinked back at her. "But...it's alive."

"Not really," Simone said. "It's just a charm. It'll wear off soon anyway. If you won't eat it, I will." She reached out and took the frog in her fist, making it croak and struggle. Ena's eyes widened, one hand stretching out, and Simone shoved it into her mouth. Ena stared at her, eyes wide and stunned. "Come on, it's not actually alive," Simone said, a frog leg wiggling from her mouth and adding to Ena's horrified expression. Simone rolled her eyes, looking at Ena's card. "That's bad luck, you know. Slytherin's hate muggleborn witches."

Ena looked at the card, watching Salazar try to pull someone onto it with him. The other person was struggling violently and after a moment Salazar let go and sighed, looking at her with a shrug and smile. Ena smiled back, reaching up to put her card into her bag. When she sat down again, she looked expectantly at Rubeus, who was looking at his card with the box closed on his knee.

"I got Herpo the Foul," he said. After a moment of studying the card, he offered it to Ena. "Want to start your collection?"

"Thanks," Ena replied, smiling as she took it and placed it by Salazar's card. She glanced at the box on Rubeus's knee. "What are you going to do with that?" she asked softly.

He looked at the box, then promised, "I'll let the frog go as soon as we get to the school."

Ena's eyes brightened and she smiled at him. "Thanks."

Simone watched them with a scowl, then rested her head back to take a nap. Ena looked out the window, listening to Rubeus eat the jellybeans and tell her the flavors, offering to share repeatedly. Once he finished, he, too, dozed off. Ena kept watching the passing scenery, and when it started to get darker she changed into her robes, just in case she fell asleep. As expected, she dozed off, only waking when the train wheels screeched to brake.

Ena sat up straight, brushing back hair that had fallen into her face. Simone was gone, as were her bags.

"Rubeus." Ena shook the large boy's shoulder and he grunted, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. "We're here."

He grinned and pushed himself up, hastily pulling on massive robes. "I hope I get to be in the same house as you, Ena," he told her sincerely. "I'll probably be all alone in my boat."

"Boat?" Ena perked up, eyes wide.

Rubeus nodded, smiling at her excitement. "First years come by boat. They deliver our things by magic."

Ena looked at her bags, then at him again. "I'll ride with you," she offered.

Rubeus smiled brightly. "Really? Thanks, Ena!"

She returned the smile and walked out, pausing to make sure Rubeus could squeeze himself out of the train. It was dark, but the air was warm and softly lit by lanterns on the boats.

"First years over here!" called a tall, wiry man with a handlebar mustache. Ena walked over to him, noticing how people skirted away from Rubeus. Her eyes fell on Simone, who was chatting with other girls. Or, more accurately, hugging and screaming with them. Ena guessed that they were other Ravenclaws. Handlebar-Man was sorting everyone into groups, ushering them to boats, but he stopped short when he saw Rubeus.

"Oh, my."

"Rubeus Hagrid, sir," Rubeus stammered nervously. "'S okay if you don't want anyone in a boat with me, but Ena said she didn't mind."

Ena looked at the Black Lake, listening to the murmurs of the water as Handlebar-Man nodded slowly. "Alright then. Come along, you two. I've got one other student who can fit on the boat." He led them over to a thin youth who was staring at the water, face pale. He looked up as they approached, adjusting his robes and revealing three long scars on his collar. Just as quickly, he shifted his robes again and they were hidden. Ena looked curiously at his face, noticing that he had a split lip and a few other small cuts.

"I'm Dain Karo," he said, his voice quick and nervous. "I can't swim."

"Rubeus Hagrid. I can't swim either." Rubeus peered at the lake.

"Ena Leifa. I can."

Handlebar-Man's mustache wiggled as he smirked. "I'll expect you to save them if they fall in," he told Ena.

"I will." She looked seriously at him, looking a bit like a flame sprite with her bright green eyes and red hair as she stood in Rubeus's shadow.

Handlebar-Man's smirk faded. "Oh. Well. Alright, then. Into the boat with you." He took one of Ena's hands and helped her into the boat. Rubeus climbed in next and she held onto the seat so his weight didn't send her toppling forward. Dain climbed in and sat next to Ena, clutching the sides to tightly his knuckles turned white. Rubeus was also holding on with a death grip; the wood cracked under his hands.

The boat started moving when the rest did, but it had a significant speed difference from all of the others due to Rubeus's added weight. Dain rocked forward, face white.

"I'm going to hurl," he moaned.

Ena looked into the water, watching glints of light reflect off eyes. She slid her wand out from her sleeve, just in case, and lowered her fingers into the water. Nothing happened for a moment, then something brushed against her hand. Ena looked down, eyes briefly making out the shape of what she thought was a grindylow swimming back down into the darkness. Something else came toward the surface with a more humanoid face, blinking large eyes at her. The mer smiled, showing sharp teeth, and reached up to touch her hand. He smiled, swimming back a little to motion for her follow him.

Ena shook her head, pointing to the castle. The mer pouted, swimming away. He returned a moment later, long fingers brushing against her hand to press something into her hand. Ena lifted her hand to look at the smooth pink shell. She smiled at the mer and he grinned back, then turned and swam back under the water again. Ena slipped the shell into her pocket and returned her hand to the water so the magical beasts could continue greeting her.

By the time they got to the school, everyone was already inside. Ena wiped her hand dry on her robes as Rubeus climbed out and took his hand when he offered to help her out. Handlebar-Man waited for him, chuckling when Dain scrambled to escape the boat and fell into the sand. Ena offered him a hand and Dain took it with a sheepish smile, letting her help him up.

They made their way into the Hall as the Sorting Hat was finishing its song. A professor quickly sorted them into alphabetical order and Ena smiled at the boys before she took her place. She spotted Professor Rain at the same time he saw her and he nodded a greeting.

A tall man who identified himself as Professor Dumbledore stepped forward to speak about the houses and their ghosts and Ena's eyes followed the one called the Bloody Baron. Professor Dumbledore started to call names as the Baron's eyes met hers. He glared, but she didn't react. She liked how little was known about ghosts. It made them more interesting.

The Bloody Baron held her stare, glaring even harder. He finally looked away.

"Rubeus Hagrid!"

Ena looked up as the boy walked nervously forward and sat precariously on the stool. The hat perched on his head, the room quiet.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The red and gold table erupted with roars and Rubeus took off the hat, hurrying over to the table. He sat down hard, making the table he'd sat at tip. He looked nervously at the line and found Ena. She motioned for him to breathe in the same way her dad would calm her, then mimed talking with one hand. Rubeus hesitated, then turned and gruffly muttered something to the boy across from him. He was answered by a smile and Ena watched a conversation begin.

The next name Ena tuned in to hear was Dain Karo. The hat sat in silence for several minutes, then announced, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Dain hastily stood and shuffled to the table, sitting at the end with his shoulders hunched and head low.

When Ena's name was called, she slowly walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat fell over her eyes.

"Oh, my," a voice muttered. "You're something."

"Am I?" she asked curiously.

"Of course. You could fit into any house."

Ena thought for a moment, then asked, "Which one would I be able to sneak out of?"

"Sneak out?" the house chuckled.

"I want to meet the beasts everywhere. If you're not allowed to help me with that, I'd be happy anywhere I can make a difference."

"A difference?"

"For the better," Ena clarified.

The hat was silent.

"Do you get headaches?" Ena asked at last.

"Yes, I do, actually."

"Can you do anything to help with them, or do you just have to wait for them to pass?"

"I compose the songs for the next year."

"Does it help?"

"I believe so."

Ena smiled in the hat's shadows. "I'm sorry I didn't get to hear it this year."

"It's quite alright." The hat made a sound like it was clearing its throat. "I've decided where you'll best fit. SLYTHERIN!" As Ena rose, reaching up to take off the hat, it whispered, "There's an underwater tunnel in the fireplace."

Ena handed the hat to Professor Dumbledore and took a seat at the Slytherin table, a small, secretive smile on her face as she thought about the secret tunnel. There was a quiet cough next to her and Ena jumped, looking quickly at the boy sitting next to her. Like with Rubeus, she didn't need to order herself to act natural. "I'm Ena Leifa," she said, offering him a hand.

"Tom. Tom Riddle." He shook her hand. "I'm a third year. Welcome to Slytherin."

"Thanks." Ena looked across the table at the boy who was staring at her. He had been one of the first people called.

"Are your parents famous wizards?" Tom asked, making her look at him again.

"No, they're soldiers," she answered.

"That's good to," he mused, nodding. They looked back at the line.

Simone was called and she was dubbed a Ravenclaw almost before the hat touched her head. Ena smiled at her, but her smile faltered when Simone glared and turned up her nose. Hate. That defined Simone's expression.

Ena heard a faint cackle and looked up. Her gaze settled on the strange creature that she was almost positive was a poltergeist. When she saw the sticks in its arms, she had confirmation. She grabbed Tom by his robes and yanked him downward as sticks and lemon meringue pie chunks went flying into students.

"Thanks," Tom whispered breathlessly, slowly sitting up.

Ena looked up at the poltergeist and it met her eyes, frowning for a moment as it flew closer. His wild hair was sticking out at all angles, and a stick was stuck in his hair.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked, squinting at her.

Ena smiled softly, glancing at Simone, who had been hit by sticks and pie. "Apple pie," she began slowly, "is stickier."

The poltergeist grinned and darted away.

"That's Peeves, the resident poltergeist," Tom said. "He only listens to the Bloody Baron."

Ena laughed. She looked at an old man as he started speaking to the sorted students. "Who's that?"

"Armando Dippet. The headmaster," Tom replied. "He's okay."

Ena nodded slowly, turning to the food that had appeared on the table. She grinned and started piling it onto a plate.

"Someone's hungry," Tom commented with a chuckle.

"It's good," Ena retorted, smiling sheepishly.

Tom laughed again. "You're a cute little first year." He ruffled her hair, then recoiled and looked at his hand, blinking. He looked at her again, considering saying something in Parseltongue to see if she would answer.

The table switched to desserts and Ena sat up with excited sound. She picked up a slice of cheesecake. At another cackle from Peeves, she quickly grabbed an empty plate and held it over herself and Tom as a shield. Apple pie and sticks splattered onto the table.

"Oh," Ena murmured, looking down at the cheesecake she had picked. There was a variety of sticks in it.

"I'm going to get you!" Peeves snapped at Ena, scowling when he saw she hadn't hit her with the sticks. She looked at him again, frowning with sad eyes. The poltergeist recoiled. "W-What's that expression for? I didn't even hit you!"

She pursed her lips. "Cheesecake is my favorite dessert," she informed him mournfully.

Peeves looked at the plate he had struck. "You can just get more," he said, reaching out and spearing another piece of dessert with a fork and sticking it onto a clean plate.

Ena smiled at him. "So you can be nice." She started to eat the food and Peeves awkwardly patted her head. Tom watched with an amused fascination as she finished the piece and smiled, sitting back. "I'm Ena Leifa."

"Peeves." He briefly touched her hand, then shot upward. He glared at the students, of whom a massive amount were staring. "What're you looking at?" he roared. "A guy can't be friends with a Slytherin?" He vanished through a wall.

"Right then," the male Prefect for Slytherin said, coughing. "Slytherin's, come along. We should get some sleep. First years toward the front! Stay together, now."

Tom stood with Ena and they headed out. When she passed Rubeus, she grinned at him and he smiled tentatively back.

The Prefect led them through the halls, lecturing about the rules, until they reached the dungeon. The password was Tenebris. The female Prefect, Cindya, like Cynthia, called over the girls to tell them about the beds. Ena looked around at the Slytherin room. It had tall black walls and was lit by various lanterns. Light white curtains that looked like spiderweb were draped over tinted green windows. There were plush chairs in front of the fireplace. A small reflective pool was in the center.

Ena followed them up to the dorms, which had smaller windows and large, beautiful beds with black drapes around them. She found the bed with her things, close to a window. When she looked out the window, she was delighted to find that it was a perfect view into the lake. She opened her suitcase to get out her brother's gift package.

"What's that?" another girl asked.

"Present." Ena handed the girl the card, knowing it said,  _To my awesome sister. Wreak some havoc._ Ena opened the package and looked at the labels. Rotten banana scented stink bomb. She smiled at the neatly packed capsules.

"No wonder you got along with Peeves," the girl said. "You've got a trickster for a brother. Oh, ew. That one makes drains back up."

Ena laughed. It was probably from a nonlethal warfare technique her brother had recreated. He was a genius. He would have graduated already if his dad didn't want them to have a similar social surrounding for their age groups. In the meantime, Ban got all A's and plenty of puzzle books to entertain him. Ena hoped that he could have magic too, even though it wasn't the norm.

"You don't talk very much, do you?" the girl asked.

Ena shrugged, smiling as she closed the box and locked it with a spell from one of her books,  _Colloportus._ It would be unlocked by Alohamora, which she had also practiced liberally before locking anything important. She slid her things under her bed, then looked out the window at a tapping. The mer who had given her the shell was grinning at her, beckoning for her to come out. Ena smiled, motioning for him to wait. She pressed a finger to her lips and he looked absolutely delighted, glimmering orange tail flickering excitedly. He darted away.

Ena rested back to feign sleeping, waiting as the lights dimmed and sounds died. She smiled and slipped out of the bed, checking that she had her wand, then ran down to the Common Room and to the fireplace. She slipped by a part of the wall that was displaced to hid the secret tunnel. The opening was small, but when she was inside the tunnel she could stand up completely.

The merman swam along next to her as she looked up through the clear tunnel walls. He had two others with him, distinctly more feminine. He flitted next to the tunnel, until it curved up and Ena pulled herself up and out, looking over at the Forbidden Forest that she had been warned to avoid. She'd have to look at it later.

She crouched at the water's edge, looking at the merman. "I can't breathe underwater," she told him. "So make sure you give me time to breathe."

He flashed a cheeky grin and held out a webbed hand. Ena reached to shake his hand, surprised to find that his skin was silky, like a dolphin, rather than wrinkled like a raisin. His grip tightened and he pitched back, pulling her into the water with him. Ena gulped in a breath, keeping her eyes open as she was submerged in the pleasantly temperate water.


	2. Rats and Books

Ena walked into her Transfiguration class and paused, eyes flickering over the class. Slytherin and Ravenclaw shared the class, but the divide between the two houses was painfully obvious. Ena hesitated, uncertain as to where she should sit, then slowly made her way over to the Slytherin side. She took a seat at an empty desk, looking over at the students without seeing any of them. She smiled to herself, thinking of the time she had spent underwater. Granted, Pheus had taken a little while to completely catch up with the idea that she needed air to live, but he'd realized and kept track of her abilities fast enough.

Pheus was going to be an ambassador for the mers of the Black Lake. A member of the royal family, he was best suited to the assignment. When he turned thirteen, his training would begin more seriously, but for the moment it was fairly limited. He was still excited about it, even if, as he said, 'Humans are really weird, with such  _flat_ teeth!' He had tried to teach her some of the dances, but it was difficult for both of them because of Ena's need to breathe. Tal and Rea, two mermaids who seemed similar to servants, had supplied the music.

"Alright, class, take your seats!" Professor Dumbledore called, clapping his hands together.

Anyone still standing sat while Professor Dumbledore flicked his wand, making writing appear on the board.

Feeling a gaze on her, Ena looked up and around. She spotted Simone and started to smile, but just like before, Simone glared at her and turned up her nose, looking away. Ena blinked at the girl she thought was her friend, utterly bewildered.

Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands again, drawing Ena's focus to him. "Now," he began, smiling warmly. "Most of your classes will probably start with some kind of test to sort out how much you know. I think you'll all agree; that is no fun." He looked them over, taking in the divide in houses. "I would like to see if any of you have a natural proficiency in Transfiguration. So," he waved his wand and shrieks filled the classroom as rats appeared on the desks, "tomorrow, we will attempt to turn these rats into books. For today, just try to get to know your new partner."

Ena looked at her rat, which was brown with gray spots. It squinted at her with an annoyed expression. "Hello. I'm Ena," she said politely.

To her surprise, the rat stomped one foot, then began to yell at her in an American accent; "You'd better not turn me into a goblet! I swear, goblets are the worst! Have you ever had anything drink from you? It's awful! I won't accept being a goblet!" He paced across her desk, continuing to yell at her. Ena looked at the other desks, where the other rats were the calm ones and their partners were panicking.

"They look excited," she commented, indicating the rats.

"That's because they're stupid! Stu-pid! S-T-U-P-I-D! I swear, if you try it, I'll eat that wand of yours!"

"Wouldn't that make you sick?" Ena asked.

Professor Dumbledore looked over at the red haired Slytherin girl. She was sitting alone. He winced, seeing that she had been paired with Travis. He walked over to the pair, watching Travis stamp his feet and squeak animatedly at her, obviously complaining.

"I don't want you to get sick," she protested. "Even if it smells better."

Travis squeaked angrily.

"Why would you want to eat unicorn hair."

Travis started to squeak angrily and stopped. He sat back on his haunches and started squeaking. Professor Dumbledore tapped his wand against his ear. "...would cause you to be cursed, but the hair is actually very healthy if you put it into soup. It can even cure some of the greatest illnesses."

"Would it work to stir soup with my wand?" Ena surprised Professor Dumbledore by asking. "If it has the hair in it, it would have the same effect, right?" She rested her chin on her palm, eyes on Travis.

"Possibly. Otherwise, it would turn the soup apple flavored. I think you might be skilled in healing magic anyway."

"Are you sure you aren't a textbook that got turned into a rat?"

Professor Dumbledore laughed, startling both of them into looking at him. "Are you two getting along?" he asked with an amused smile.

Ena nodded, returning the smile and managing to make it look mysterious.

"I hope Travis isn't giving you trouble with the spell," he continued.

Ena shook her head.

Professor Dumbledore waited for her to say more, but she did not. "Travis, why don't you tell her the spell to turn you into a book?" he finally requested.

The rat sighed. "Alright. The motion is a simple point and counterclockwise half circle. Say _Murinae Libero_."

Ena shifted, readying her wand. She repeated the motion as he had said, uttering, " _Murinae Libero_."

Soft blue light wrapped around Travis and the rat morphed into a thick Potions book. Ena grinned and looked at Professor Dumbledore for judgement.

"Well, this is interesting," he said. "You should have gotten a Transfiguration book." He opened it. "Oh, my. This is an incredibly advanced version. This is similar to the teaching copy Professor Slughorn, the head of your house, has."

"Is that good?" Ena asked hopefully.

"It's impressive. You're probably going to be very good at Potions. Have you taken the class yet?"

She shook her head.

"I'd like to know how you do." Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand at the book and it turned back into Travis. The rat quickly examined himself, then nodded approvingly.

Ena looked at the rat. "I turned you into a Potions book."

"Nice job. You'd better get me something nice for helping you!" Travis squinted at her, joking.

"Okay. I'll get some shells tonight."

"Where would you get shells? What would I even do with shells?"

Ena frowned, realizing that the rat had a point. "Oh, right. I've only been to the lake so far, so I don't know what else I could get you." She stilled, realizing what she had just said in front of a professor.

"Fine, just make it a pretty shell," Travis sighed, not noticing her internal dilemma.

Professor Dumbledore placed a hand on Ena's shoulder and she looked at him through long eyelashes, easily adopting the look of a child not wanting to get in trouble. His stern expression wavered, despite receiving that look many times in the past. "Did you sneak out?" he asked, his tone not as firm as he wanted it to be.

Ena blinked, eyes wide as she looked at him.

"To the Black Lake? You won't be in trouble, but it isn't safe."

"I told Pheus I'd come back," she said.

The professor studied her, then sighed and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a small black stone with a white ring in it. He threaded a string through it. "This is for you," he said, returning to her. "It will allow you to breathe underwater. Mers can be tricky, so be careful, alright?"

"Thank you," she said, putting on the necklace. She squeezed the charm in her hand. "May I leave?"

"You may." Professor Dumbledore stepped back to let her leave.

* * *

Rubeus was in Potions, which made Ena brighten up considerably. He was sitting alone, shoulder slumped and head down. Ena walked over to him.

"Hello, Rubeus," she said.

He jumped, then looked at her and smiled. "Hi, Ena. How are your classes?"

"Good. I turned Travis into a book." She paused. "Travis is a rat."

"Wow, you've already done Transfiguration? That's great! I don't have it until later in the day."

"It's fun." She smiled brightly, reaching for the rock so she could tell him about it as well, then stopped. She shouldn't mention it. "Can I sit by you?"

Rubeus shifted over. "Sure."

Ena slipped next to him as the professor slipped in. He stopped short and stared at the Slytherin and Gryffindor sitting together. He shrugged and started lecturing on the dangers between potions and chemicals. Midway, Peeves shot in and cackled, throwing pieces of chalk at them. He spotted Ena and threw a piece at her, but she reached up and caught it. She looked at her hand, hiding her surprise behind a smile that she directed at Peeves.

"I'm going to get you before you graduate," he declared.

Ena smiled at him. "I have a gift." She pulled two of her brother's stink bombs from her bag where she had carefully placed them and held them up to the poltergeist. "My brother made these. I think you'd use them better than I would."

Professor Slughorn glanced over at them, then sighed and continued his lecture. Rubeus nervously eyed the poltergeist as he took the stink bombs.

"You're a weird one, bein' friends with a Gryffindor," Peeves muttered, shaking his head. He juggled the bombs and flew away.

"What's wrong with being friends?" Ena asked, looking at Rubeus.

"Er...uh...well..." Rubeus refused to look at her. Ena looked quietly at him, then lowered her head.

Professor Slughorn kept talking without saying much of anything, but class crawled by. When it finally ended, she got up, said goodbye to Rubeus, and quickly left, weaving through the halls to get to her Charms class.

Professor Rain looked up when she entered, eyes settling on her distressed figure. "Ena? Are you-"

Students flowed into the classroom and Ena smiled at him, walking to the back of the small classroom and taking a seat.

The purple eyed professor watched her with a worried expression, but shook it off when class began. He gave a quick synopsis of the class, then ordered the students to draw their wands. "We will be practicing a very important spell; Lumos." His wand glowed. "You will find it very useful when you realize that you've forgotten to do your homework in the middle of the night."

The students, which were all Slytherin, laughed. Ena smiled as well, liking the idea of magical homework. After Professor Rain gave the motion, Ena attempted the spell. She promptly yelped and almost fell over backward as the light glowed white hot and set the table on fire.

Professor Rain hastily shouted, " _Aguamenti_!" Water rushed over the fire, sufficiently drenching Ena.

Without missing a beat, Ena pointed her wand at herself. " _Teiro Calidum_." The water steamed off of her. The classroom stared. Ena looked at them. "My brother is worse than a poltergeist," she said to no one in particular, which made it easy to just speak. She looked at Professor Rain. "Sorry about that."

"Quiet alright," the professor said after a moment. "Have you attended Transfiguration yet?"

Ena nodded.

"It would not surprise me if you were able to be an Animagus."

Ena's eyes lit up. "Could I be something that can fly?" she asked eagerly.

"I suppose so," he replied with an amused expression.

She smiled to herself and focused on her wand again, saying the spell more carefully so she didn't light anything on fire. The light was still painfully bright, but not as bad.

At the end of class, Ena waited until everyone was gone, then approached Professor Rain's desk.

She stood in silence, so he gently prompted, "Why the long face?"

"Is it bad that I'm a Slytherin?" she finally asked.

The professor looked startled. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Rubeus doesn't want to be my friend. And Simone keeps glaring at me."

Professor Rain paused. "Rubeus...the bigger boy?"

Ena nodded.

"Do you still want to be friends?"

She nodded.

"Then be yourself. Let him decide. And Simone. Is she a Ravenclaw? Ravenclaws don't make sense to me. I suppose the same advice stands."

Ena smiled tentatively. "Thank you, professor."

He smiled back. "I hope my advice helps. Now, run along. I believe you have Herbology."

Ena nodded and darted away, going through a back door so she could take the outside route through the school. It was longer, but prettier. As she turned around a wall, she stopped short. Simone was standing there. Without a word, Simone raised a hand and slapped Ena across the face. Ena blinked, more stunned than hurt, and was aware of a colder sting where Simone's raven feather ring had cut her.

"I can't believe I thought we'd be friends! Don't ever talk to me, you, you, Slytherin, slithering, mudblood, scum!" Simone stalked away. Ena raised a hand to touch her face and looked at her red fingertips. She pressed down on the cut.

* * *

Neither she, nor Simone, noticed the ghost that had observed the entire encounter.

 

 


	3. Plot

Ena tried to pretend that she wasn't upset that Simone had struck her as she stepped into the greenhouse. Herbology seemed like a bad idea. She could get along with animals, but when it came to plants...she even managed to kill a barrel cactus. She was that bad. Professor Beery stopped talking and looked at her with narrowed eyes and Ena paused for a moment before she realized that she was late. She offered the professor a small, apologetic smile and took out her books, taking a seat near the door and carefully not looking at anyone.

The professor slowly started on his lecture on safety again and Ena took a few notes when he started talking about the mandrakes they would be re-potting next class. She had her head down, eyes focused on the red feather of her quill, when she realized Professor Beery had finished and was standing in front of her.

"Why were you late?" he asked curtly.

Ena's hand briefly raised to her face, wondering if the mark were Simone had cut her was visible. "I took the long way, and stood still for a while," she murmured, not quite meeting the professor's narrow blue eyes. She felt him staring, waiting for him to crack, but it was easy for her to be silent. After several minutes, Professor Beery finally turned away.

Ena shifted to look at the Herbology test that he had placed in front of her and blew out a slow breath, dipping her quill into the ink again as she began.

* * *

Professor Galatea Merryweather was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and she was sipping a strong smelling drink from a large mug that had a face that glared at Ena when Ena walked into her classroom. Ena looked at the mug, but she didn't really see it. A distant part of her mind pointed out that she had forgotten to put her name on the Herbology test.

She sat in the back of the class and wished for a window where she could see the lake. Professor Merryweather gave out a test on the book and Ena made sure to put her name on it before she started.

* * *

In the meeting room of the ghosts, Nearly Headless Nick mournfully shook his barely attached head. "And that girl just stood there. If it had been me, I would have given that Ravenclaw girl a piece of my mind. My word, what are we coming to? I'd give that girl a few stern words, if not for the Grey Lady."

The Fat Friar chuckled. "Of course, the frightening Lady."

"Bah." Nick waved a hand at the Friar. "Be that as it may, that Slytherin girl needs to stand up for herself! For being called a mudblood, at least, but that Ravenclaw cut her face!" He frowned to himself. "No wonder she isn't in Gryffindor."

A cackle sounded and they groaned as Peeves shot in, shouting out, "Greetings, greetings, my wee ghosty friends! Why the long faces, feeling a little  _grey_?" He laughed uproariously at his own joke.

"Shoo, shoo, Peeves," the Friar sighed, massaging his temples.

"Shouldn't you be off avenging your  _crush_?" Nick snapped, arms crossed.

Peeves stilled for a moment. "A crush? Do tell, who would be the unlucky soul to be crushed by yours truly?"

The Fat Friar groaned.

"That Slytherin girl, Edna, or something," Nick said dismissively.

"Ena?" Peeves's smile dropped. Then it returned, with something malicious behind it. "She is no crush, simply a creature of interest. But...why must she be avenged?" The poltergeist's voice deepened and Nick and the Friar glanced at each other.

Nick slowly said, "Now, don't do anything outrageous, Peeves. I saw a Ravenclaw hit her, and call her the m-word. She drew blood, no less."

Anger made the poltergeist's body grow and swell, his teeth bared. The two ghosts drew back and the nutty poltergeist seemed to realize he was out of character, swiftly letting out a maniacal laugh and squeaking back to his normal size. He darted away.

Once he was away from the ghosts, his fury started to return. He shot through classrooms, looking for Ena, and found her in Galatea's classroom. Her eyes were dull, but they brightened slightly as she tipped up her head to look at him. She smiled and a red line made itself known on her pale face. Peeves departed swiftly, searching for the Bloody Baron. The Baron would know the Ravenclaw scum that dared strike his target.

 

 

 


	4. Possibility

Ena dove into the lake, her eyes tightly shut. She inhaled quickly and air filled her lungs rather than water. Her form relaxed, one hand briefly touching the necklace.

She kicked downward, reaching the lake's bottom and selecting a few shells for Travis. She imagined one could be a tiny bowl, and looked for others like it so he could have small, rat family get-togethers.

Ena's foot caught in something and she twisted, realizing she was next to the grindylow forest. She carefully loosened the seaweed around her ankle and shifted, looking into the forest. Large eyes blinked back at her as a grindylow slowly came to the edge of the seaweed, studying her. Ena smiled without showing her teeth and offered it one hand. It sniffed her hand, then nuzzled against her palm, tentacles wrapping around her arm.

"Ena!" She turned, grindylow still attached, as Pheus swam up to her. His wide black eyes were sparkling with excitement. "How was school?"

"It was good. I like transfiguration."

The grindylow's tentacles drifted up to her face, brushing against the cut. Pheus watched it with a worried expression, then realized what it was touching and swam closer, eyes wide.

"Ena, what happened?" he asked anxiously, touching her face carefully with his thin fingers.

"It's fine," she assured him, searching for a distraction tactic. "Look what Professor Dumbledore gave me." She lifted the stone on her fingertips.

Pheus looked at it, his fingers staying on her face. "Oh, wow. A winhun. They're really rare, I heard."

"They are?" Ena shifted to clutch it in her fist. "It made me happy. I can breathe now, so I can dance with you more easily."

The mer's eyes widened and he flipped in the water, the grindylow spooking and returning to its forest. Pheus kept spinning, propelled by his own momentum, then he held out both arms and steadied himself. His gills flared as he calmed himself, then he swam back to Ena. "Okay. Okay, this is great. Okay. I'm going to show you  _everything._ Okay." He grabbed her hand and started swimming, his powerful tail sweeping them both along.

Ena didn't have to focus on breathing as much, so she was able to see that if she and Pheus were both standing, or at least straight, she would be taller than him. Ena was still waiting on her growth spurt, so she was considerably short. A laugh bubbled out of her, but Pheus only shot her an excited look and slowed down so he could talk with her more easily.

"The girls can play while I teach you," he said excitedly, shifting direction toward the palace. "My training is starting to go into human food and metabolisms. "The others say that I'll look like you, eventually. My skin will change and my nails will get smoother. And my tail will be shinier. I'm a little worried, though, because it sounds kind of painful." His tongue flicked over his teeth.

"I don't think it would be painful because you're changing slowly, over time. It's like hair growing. That doesn't hurt, right?" Ena smiled reassuringly.

"Right!"

"And it makes sense that you have to change because your body needs to be able to survive in the environment on land. It very different from down here."

Pheus licked his sharp teeth again. "What about my teeth? Isn't it hard for you to eat...you know,  _cooked_ food?"

Ena laughed. "They're for grinding, not tearing," she explained. "I can bring you some food if you want."

"Like what?" Pheus slowed at the palace and mer-people nodded greetings to them.

"Maybe bread." Ena paused. "But that would get soggy in the water, so you'd have to eat with your head out."

Pheus nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Ladies, please!" Music started and Ena looked around, but didn't see the mermaids that served him. "Okay. This part is really easy, so just follow me." Holding her hands in his, he carefully led her through the motions.

* * *

The full moon glittered brightly on the lake's surface. In the Forbidden Forest, a beast thrashed furiously against the chains binding it to a massive tree. It finally managed to free itself, tearing out skin and leaving a bloody trail as it ran deeper into the forest. It reared back, letting out a furious howl, not caring about the wounds it had dealt itself.

* * *

Ena had thought the day was going to go well because in Transfiguration she had given Travis his shells and turned him into a book, spending the rest of the class reading about Potions. In her actual Potions class, Rubeus had sat next to her in silence, and when she tried to talk to him he had visibly retreated into himself. She didn't think that would be possible for someone so large to shrink so much.

She had taken one step into Professor Rain's classroom and he had given her a pass to the library.

Ena sat silently at an empty table, her Charms book resting in front of her. She didn't want to try any spells when she always seemed likely to set things on fire. Her focus wasn't really on the book, though. Rubeus seemed afraid of her. Did she think she would hurt him? Was it just because she was a Slytherin?

The Hat placed her in Slytherin. Was it just because of the tunnel? Did it think she could make a difference? Ena curled her hands into fists, closing her eyes. She wouldn't let any of it get to her. She opened her eyes and looked at the book. She would trust that the Hat had a reason for placing her in Slytherin.

"C-Can I sit here?"

Ena lifted her gaze to the blue eyed boy. "Of course."

He smiled faintly and pulled out a chair, carefully sitting down. He pulled out his Potions book and opened it, lowering his head over it.

"It's Dain, right?" she asked slowly.

His head jerked up, eyes wide. "Yeah?"

"Ena. From the boat." She smiled.

His eyes managed to widen even more. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry! I-I'll go!" He started to stand and stumbled, tripping on his robes and falling back into the chair.

"Why? You don't have to," 

"Well, you're, you know..." Ena looked blankly at him and he continued, "Slytherin. You don't really want to sit by someone like me, do you?"

Ena tipped her head to the side, brushing her red hair back behind one ear. "Someone like you?"

"R-Raised by muggles. I mean, my parents weren't muggles, but I was still raised by muggles." He lifted her robes and awkwardly stood up again.

"So?" Ena blinked inquisitively.

Dain stared at her, slowly taking a seat again. "Aren't you from some special family that believes in pure bloods only?"

"No." Ena closed her Charms book. "I didn't know about magic until Professor Rain came to my house."

Dain's eyes widened. "Really? Does that mean that you're from a muggle family?"

Ena nodded brightly. "My mom is an engineer for a group working on expanding space travel, and my dad is in the armed forces. Neither one of them have magic, but I think it would be great if my little brother did. He's a genius." She smiled proudly.

"Wow, that's impressive! Muggles in space!" A shush sounded and Dain winced, cheeks reddening. "So you don't have any magical blood?" he whispered.

Ena shook her head. "Not a drop, at least that I know of."

"I can't believe Slytherin would have someone like that. They're really high strung about purebloods, you know."

Ena looked at her wand. "I don't see why. I mean, the magic takes to all of us the same way, doesn't it?" She made the arc for Lumos and it glowed brightly. "You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a muggleborn casting this and a pureblood casting this, right?" The glow died.

"That's what I think too." Dain leaned forward, then sat back again when the table dug into his ribs. "My parents were both wizards that studied magical creatures, but when they died a muggle family adopted me. Just because of that, Slytherins hate me."

Ena frowned. "I'm sorry," she said earnestly. "I'm going to try to change it. I think that's why the Hat placed me there. I asked it for somewhere I could make a difference."

Dain smiled, but his smile vanished when a voice shouted, "Hey!"

They both looked up to see Simone storming up to the table. The Ravenclaw girl was dripping wet and had foam in her dark hair. "I know you talk to Peeves," she cried, pointing at Ena with a shaking hand. "You set him on me, didn't you?"

"What?" Ena drew back, eyes wide.

"You made him dump water on me for no reason!" she cried, bursting into tears. "How could you? I knew you were nothing but a wicked Slytherin!"

Ena's face went smooth, the surprise and hurt that had briefly shown in her eyes replaced by nothing at all. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice low.

Simone's sobs rose in volume, making Dain cringe back. "How could you lie like that?" she howled. "I only tried to be nice to you, and you've been nothing but cruel in return!"

Ena placed her book into her bag and stood. In a voice that was barely a whisper, she said, "I have to go to Herbology." She started to move around Simone and was blocked by one of Simone's friends.

"Apologize to her," the girl demanded.

Ena stepped around her, glancing back at Dain. The brightness, belief, that she thought had shown in his eyes was gone. He didn't believe anything she had tried to say. Or if he had, he thought it was a trick.

She lowered her head and walked out of the library, feet falling quickly. A laugh sounded in her head and she looked up. "Peeves."

The poltergeist stopped in the air and streaked down to her. "Little Ena," he greeted with a smirk.

"Did you do something to Simone?" Her voice stayed perfectly even.

Peeves beamed. "I did, I did," he said proudly. "Vengeance for my little Ena."

"Why."

The smile faded. "She hit you, Ena."

"When did you become my guardian?" She lifted her gaze to meet the poltergeist's wild eyes, unfaltering.

"I decided only yours truly can trick you, and it's no fun tricking a little one with a broken spirit." He rolled his eyes.

Ena's eyes narrowed. "I won't be broken, Peeves. Don't fight my battles, especially ones that aren't necessary."

"Why shouldn't I? She called you a mudblood!"

Ena grabbed the poltergeist by the rumpled collar and pulled him down so she wouldn't have to keep her neck tipped back. "Silly as it is, I'm technically a black belt in a muggle type of hand-to-hand combat. Once I get taller, I'll be able to protect myself from anyone. I may be eleven, but I'm not incompetent. If I wanted to, I could hurt any wizard here very much without even waving my wand. But what would be the point of that?" She released him, but Peeves stayed floating just above the ground in front of her. "So what if she hit me and called me a name? It won't last. Mudblood means nothing to me." Ena shrugged.

Peeves glowered at her. "Fine," he snapped. "But you're no mudblood, little Ena. I won't let anyone get away with calling you that."

Ena smiled. "Thank you for caring, Peeves."

The poltergeist stared at her, then turned blue, yelled, "Sticks!" and shot away. Ena smiled and walked toward class, not noticing that Dain had been peeking out of the library and listening to her conversation.

She entered the greenhouse and paused a moment before she walked up to Professor Beery. "Excuse me," she began slowly, focusing on the pot on the table. "Can I ask you something that might be offensive?"

He raised a silver eyebrow, blinking at her. "Shoot."

"What's a mudblood?"

Professor Beery's eyes narrowed at the Slytherin girl. "Why are you asking?" he questioned, fully prepared to give her detention depending on the answer.

"I want to know."

He frowned. "Where did you hear that word?"

Ena hesitated. "I don't want to say."

Professor Beery leaned closer to her, speaking in a low voice as another student entered. "Mudblood, is a horrible name for children without magical parentage. It implies that they are worth nothing more than mud. Now, tell me where you heard it."

Ena lifted her eyes to him. "Am I one?" she asked in a small voice.

Professor Beery blinked. He had not been expecting the Slytherin to ask that. "Why do you ask?"

"My parents have no magic. Doesn't that make me a mudblood?"

Professor Beery stared at her. "Did, did someone call you that?"

Ena stilled for a moment, then turned slowly away. Her eyes fell on Dain and he returned her gaze, not moving from where he stood by the doors. She quickly looked away, moving away from the professor and pulling out her dragon scale gloves and soft blue earmuffs, which she had bought by Professor Rain's advising. She slid the earmuffs onto her neck and placed the gloves on the table.

Dain sat next to her and Ena blinked at him, surprised. "I," Dain faltered and cleared his throat, fidgeting with his robes and revealing scars close to his throat, more than the three big ones Ena had noticed before. "I'm sorry. I should have tried to speak up for you. I'm normally really bad at talking to other people, but for some reason you're easier to talk to."

Ena smiled tentatively. "You think I'm easy to talk to?"

He nodded.

"You're easy to talk with, too." She glanced over at the earmuffs Professor Beery was setting out, aware that he was watching them. "You should get earmuffs before you get stuck with something pink."

Dain nodded and stood, picking up a pair and sliding them onto his ears. He looked at Ena and blinked, finding her gone. She tapped his shoulder and he pushed back the earmuffs.

"They're really good," she reported. "I yelled boo and you didn't even jump."

"Really?" Dain looked at the professor, who was massaging his temples with a pained expression.

Ena smiled and took a seat again, so Dain sat with her. He searched for something to say, not wanting to let her know he'd eavesdropped on her and Peeves.

"What's the Slytherin dorm like?" he asked at last.

"It's nice." Ena shifted, fiddling with her robes. "It's under the lake, and my bed is right next to a window, so I can see everything outside. It's actually really cozy, even though the steps down to it are really cold. What's Hufflepuff like?" She paused, suddenly doubting herself. "You are Hufflepuff, right?"

He laughed. "Yeah. I like it, but it does feel a little like I'm living in a bumblebee, even though it's supposed to be more like a badger den. There are tons of plants, too, which makes me nervous because I kind of kill plants."

Ena tugged her mandrake protectively toward herself, then paused and looked at it. "I do too," she admitted, pushing it away again.

Dain smiled, showing his teeth this time. Ena returned it, relaxing.

Students started trickling in. Another Hufflepuff girl walked up to them and tapped Dain's shoulder. He jumped, flinching back. Ena's eyes widened, identifying his expression as pain rather than surprise.

"Dain, why don't you come sit with us again?" the girl asked.

"Um, no thanks, Mel. I'm okay here."

The girl hesitated, glancing at Ena, then walked away.

Dain turned back to Ena, pausing when he saw her wide eyes. "What? We're friends, aren't we? Or...trying to be? It would defeat the purpose if I sat with other people."

The concern was briefly replaced by warmth, but the concern returned quickly. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Dain blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

"Your shoulder. It's hurt."

Dain looked startled for a moment, then he smiled. "It's okay. I ran into a cactus."

Ena nodded slightly, but before she could ask more, Professor Beery cleared his throat. Ena slid on her earmuffs so she could properly zone out and glanced over at Dain to see he had done the same. It was a good thing, too, because as soon as Professor Beery motioned for them to begin, another Slytherin named Avery yanked his mandrake from its pot.

A horrible scream was still audible through the earmuffs and students started collapsing, mainly the ones that had not put on their earmuffs. Ena lunged forward to catch a Hufflepuff boy and girl when their heads went straight for a desk corner. She squeaked, surprised by the boy's weight, and Dain quickly came to help. Once the students were safely grounded, she and Dain looked over at Professor Beery. He was yelling at Avery, earmuffs off.

Ena pushed back her earmuffs.

"Class is over for today!" the professor snapped. "Has anyone learned the levitation charm yet?"

He was answered by silence and he groaned.

"Try on a textbook. Swish and flick. Wingardium Leviosa."

Ena turned to her book. She didn't speak, making the motion first, and was surprised when her issue of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi shot straight upward, breaking through the greenhouse ceiling and vanishing into the sky. Ena stared after it, then shot a look at Dain when he snorted.

"Well, you try it," she grumbled, arms crossed.

"Proudly." Dain spoke the spell perfectly and his book drifted up. He grinned.

Ena pouted, pointing her wand at his book. It turned into a rat and Dain yelped, losing control of his spell. She picked up the rat and grinned.

"You're evil!" Dain accused. "Turn it back!"

Ena sighed and set the rat on the table as she turned it back. She quickly opened it to make sure it was the right book. "I'm good at Transfiguration," she informed him.

"I can tell. I'm not."

Ena's eyes brightened. "I need help with Charms. My spells have been too big."

They grinned at each other.

"Alright, everyone!" Professor Beery called. "If you could, safely," he glanced at the hole in the ceiling, "lift your book, lift a student and follow me!"

"Please don't turn my classmates into rats," Dain said seriously to Ena, casting the spell to lift the two that he and Ena had stopped from falling.

Ena grinned. "I won't." She walked next to Dain, glancing back at the two other Hufflepuffs and four other Slytherins that had been successful with the spell. The Slytherins were hitting the Hufflepuffs with their classmates. She sighed, not speaking as she walked next to Dain.

Pheus peeked out of the water curiously. He thought he saw Ena, but he was more curious about the floating children.


	5. Into the Woods

Pheus pushed himself out of the water a little more, eyes wide and focused on Ena as she walked toward the Forbidden Forest. She looked back at him and smiled brightly. He hesitantly smiled back, glancing at the full moon above them, then vanished beneath the water again.

Ena rubbed her hands together. There was a slight chill in the air, but not enough to bother her. She was still happy about actually being able to talk to Rubeus. Dain had been coming with her to the library and to class, so when they had run into Rubeus, Ena had invited him along. He had stopped avoiding her when he realized, like Dain had, that she wasn't a stuck up pure blood. The stereotype made her sad, but she had realized that it existed for a reason. Simone was part of that reason, unfortunately.

Peeves had gotten over Ena's scolding fast enough, and had come to ask for more of her brother's prank toys. Ena had been more than happy to write Ban a letter, and Ban had been over the moon at the thought of an actual poltergeist using his things.

Pheus hadn't liked Ena's plan to wait until the full moon to go into the forest, but he wouldn't tell her why. The way she saw it, the light from the moon would help her see, and it wasn't like anything in the forest was dangerous, so she had nothing to be afraid of. Pheus had responded by slamming his head against a rock and muttering that it was her funeral. Then he complained that plenty of things were dangerous and that she was too special to be hurt by any of them. Ena had laughed at him.

As soon as she set a foot into the trees, a howl cut through the silence. Ena immediately started walking toward it, looking up into the trees as she passed. As she went deeper into the forest, her gaze landed on an immense tree. It had an almost perfect circle cleared around it with only dry, dead leaves scattered across the ground. A frown pursed her lips when she saw the thick chains wrapped around the tree's trunk. She slowly rounded the tree and faltered, staring at the blood staining the chains.

Ena lifted her head, looking around quickly, and jerked back when a humanoid creature leapt from the shadows and slashed out at her. It crouched back, snarling. Red spattered across the leaves, shining in the moonlight. The more it moved the more it was going to hurt itself.

Ena held out both hands, not toward it so much as just to show that she wasn't a threat. "Hey, it's okay," she said, voice soft and soothing. "I won't hurt you."

The creature stared at her, the snarl sputtering to a stop. It let out a furious howl, then turned and bolted away.

Ena hesitated, then turned back to the tree. The chains were even more bloody than the ground and what she suspected were torn patches of skin and fur were pinned into them. A key was lying on the ground beside the tree and when she tried it on the padlock linking the chains together, it worked. She slowly set the key on one of the massive chains and stepped back, eyes moving to the large gouges in the trunk.

She reached up to touch them, mentally comparing them to what she had seen of the creature's claws. She was no expert, but they seemed to match.

With a sigh, she stepped away from the tree. Ena decided not to follow the creature, especially when she didn't know what it was. She still didn't think it would hurt her, but maybe she should only wander for a little while, and then go back and do some research.

* * *

 Ena bit into the last pancake, not quite looking at Tom as he said, "...whole new world. If you think about it, the wizarding world would be much better run if it was only the best of the best, like those of us in Slytherin."

"Mm," she took a sip of her water, "but who decides what that is? Not everyone in our house is good, right?"

"Well, I could be in charge, and I'd make that decision with my council." He narrowed his eyes. "And I _would_  allow other houses in. That was just an example."

Ena laughed. "Tom, you aren't exactly immortal. And I don't know that your 'council' would be, either."

He frowned thoughtfully and stabbed his food with the fork.

Owls swept into the room, landing on tables and shoulders across the dining hall. A barn owl landed in front of Ena, blinking large, dark eyes at her. She untied a package with her brother's scrawl on it and smiled at the owl, rubbing its feathers and offering it bacon before it took off and flew away again. Tom leaned over to look at the note attached when she laughed and she shifted so he could see it too.

_To my best sister ever who sends me candy whenever I want it! And I want it. ~B._

"My little brother," she explained, unnecessarily when the word sister was right on the note. "I don't know where to get candy, though."

"I can buy some when I go to Hogsmeade," Tom offered.

Ena grinned at him. "Thank you." She searched her robes and pulled out a few sickles. "Would this be enough? You're going tomorrow, right?"

"Right. I'll give you back the change." He pocketed the coins.

The students started to trickle out and Ena turned, spotting Dain. She waved goodbye to Tom and he nodded in return before returning to his conversation with the boy across the table. Ena darted over to Dain and poked his shoulder, quickly drawing back when he jumped violently. He swiftly turned, but relaxed when he saw that it was just Ena.

"Boo," she offered with a small grin.

"You startled me." He grinned back, but there was something off about it. Ena tipped her head to the side, studying the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Dain hesitated, but then nodded. "Yeah. Just tired."

"You could probably get some rest before class. There's a little time."

He waved her off. "I'm fine, really."

Ena frowned, then sighed. "Okay. See you later?"

Dain nodded and walked away. Ena stayed standing there for a moment, trying to figure out why it bothered her so much, then went her own way to get to class.

She had Travis again for Transfiguration. Professor Dumbledore told her that she was the only student he had that managed to do anything with the rat. After successfully turning him into a goblet and back, Ena tried working on levitating one of her books. Unfortunately, the book kept getting stuck to the ceiling.

"You seem to work well enough in Charms," Professor Dumbledore commented. "You simply put too much power into the spell."

Ena grinned halfheartedly. "Like fire in light spells."

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "You have potential. It's perfectly normal for Applewood wands such as yours to attempt to assist their user in spells. Yours must be very fond of you."

Ena smiled.

She kept Ban's package for Peeves in her bag, but the poltergeist didn't appear. Maybe that was why the day felt so uneventful, she mused as she left Herbology with Dain. They walked into the library and to their normal spot, Dain taking a seat right away while Ena wandered off. He looked curiously after her and his eyes widened when she returned with a thick tome on magical creatures.

"What's that for?" The boy sat forward.

"I want to learn what might be in the Forbidden Forest." She smiled. "In case I ever go in."

"Why would you do that?" He barely remembered to keep his voice down. She laughed at him. Dain paused, then relaxed. "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing in particular. I'm going to read the whole book," she said, voice full of excitement. "I really like animals, and this is a great way to learn about them!" She opened the book to a random page toward the back. "Maybe I'll get lucky and read about something that I'll actually see soon."

Dain shook his head, pulling out his own book on ancient runes. He planned to take the class when he was in the right year for it, he had told Ena. "I don't think you want to meet most of the creatures in that book."

Ena pouted jokingly. "How would you know? Have you read it?"

"No. My parents wrote it."

Ena's jaw dropped. She looked at the cover. "But your last name is Karo!"

"That's my adopted name. My parents are the Wains."

She leaned forward. "Dain. Did your parents name you Dain so you could be Dain Wain?"

He bared his teeth in a pained smile. "I really try not to think about that possibility."

Ena opened her mouth, then decided not to throw rhymes at him and looked down at her book with a small smile. Comfortable silence fell over them, broken only by an occasional hum from Ena and the rustling of pages. When Ena sat up completely Dain lifted his head to look curiously at her.

"Werewolves," she breathed, spinning the book to show him the sketch and text.

Dain grimaced, but set his own book down to give her his attention.

Ena blinked. "You don't like them?"

"One killed my parents," he muttered.

Ena's fingers slid down on the book. He probably wouldn't like to hear that she was pretty sure there was one in the Forbidden Forest. "Do you think there's a cure?" she asked quietly.

He grimaced and laughed in a combination that looked painful. "Destroy the moon?"

Ena rested the book against her knees. "So, did your parents study all of these animals?" She motioned at the book.

Dain nodded. "They were looking into the possibility of a werebeast community, too. The book was before their bigger studies."

"I'd love to have a job like theirs. No animals have ever hurt me on purpose, but I'd still be careful," she added at his alarmed expression.

He hesitated, then said, "I'm still in touch with my other family members. It's sort of a family occupation. I just, can't travel with them, so muggles who were friends of the family took me in."

"Why can't you travel?"

He shrugged sadly. "Too risky. But if you're still interested and we're still friends when we're older, I could connect you to my family."

Ena's face lit up and she forgot to worry about not being friends in the future. "Really? That would be incredible!"

The librarian hushed them and they both jumped, looking guiltily at each other. Ena grinned. Dain, after a moment, returned it.

They went back to quietly reading and were only interrupted when Peeves swept in, snatched a package from Ena, and flew away cackling.


	6. A Deal

Ena looked up at the full moon as she walked, thinking. If she was right, then the werewolf would be out there. Probably chained to the same tree. If she was wrong...well, then it wasn't a werewolf. She had slipped out early enough that it probably wouldn't be able to escape the chains and hurt itself. On the bright side, Ena knew that she wouldn't get lost. She had ventured into the forest more over the month, only visiting Pheus a few times. She had met a whole herd of unicorns and petted some foals before they moved on, and she came across a centaur that commented that the moon was close before it continued on its way. There had also been a group of spiders looking for a master that had eyed her a little too hungrily for even her tastes.

Talking to Rubeus about the creatures was an adventure. He gave her plenty of great information, but she had to be careful not to give away that she had actually seen the things that they were talking about. Rubeus's eyes always lit up when it was something particularly dangerous, and Ena didn't want to risk endangering him by letting him know that the beasts were actually something he  _could_  see in person. Animals being friendly with her did not mean that animals would be friendly with him. All the same, she was happy that Dain had helped her start talking to him again.

Savage snarling made her pause, but only for an instant. Ena's pace increased and she quickly saw the massive tree. She stepped quickly around the trunk and faltered when she saw the werewolf. It was almost free of the chains, locked this time, and blood stained its thin gray coat. That was a lot of blood.

"Hey, hey, stop it," Ena breathed, voice soft and soothing, hands outstretched. It snarled and swiped at her and Ena quickly moved back. She wanted to help, but she didn't want to risk being turned. "I understand that you're angry and in pain, but you're hurting yourself even more by doing this. You need to stop. Let me help you."

The werewolf slumped slightly, dark eyes fixed on her. It panted softly, but didn't move as she stepped closer. The key was at the base of the trunk, within reach, but the werewolf probably didn't have the same level of rationality that it would need to notice and use the key.

"I'll let you out," she said, lifting the key, "but you have to stay here. Your human counterpart probably chained you up here because he's afraid you're going to hurt someone. I'll stay here with you until I have to go back, but you have to stay here." Ena looked intently at the beast as she spoke. She had already made the decision to leave before she could risk seeing who it really was.

Ena lifted the padlock in her hand and unlocked it. The chains went slack and the beast sprang free, shaking itself and splattering blood. Ena moved out of the way of the blood, setting down the key and taking a seat on the leaves.

"What are you going to do?"

The werewolf looked at her, sides heaving, then it stepped closer and dropped to the ground, its head landing on her leg. Ena shifted a little and it lifted its head, watching her until she had settled more comfortably, then it dropped its head to her leg again.

"Well, at least you're not like a cat," Ena teased. "You move while they're leaning on you and they look at you like you just insulted their heritage."

The werewolf exhaled softly and Ena smiled, settling a hand on its head. Its skin was riddled with scars that made her grimace sympathetically. It must have been hurting alone for a long time.

"I'll come back for the next full moon, too," she said to it. "Wait for me, okay? Don't hurt yourself."

It made a low grumbling sound that she took as agreement.

* * *

Ena slipped away, waving back at the werewolf. It watched her go without rising.

When she slipped back into the Common Room, Tom said, "So how often do you slip out at night?"

Ena jumped and looked at him. Was she going to get in trouble? "I don't need much sleep."

"I take it that means every night?" He walked over and plucked a leaf from her hair, handing it to her with a wry curve to his lips. "What have you been doing?"

"Exploring. I get bored just lying awake every night."

Tom studied her. "Does anyone else know?"

Ena shook her head.

The older boy sighed. "Alright. I won't tell if you plan to keep this up. Tell me if you find anything wierd, though."

Ena tipped her head to the side. "Like what?"

"Anything worth mentioning," he answered with a shrug.

Ena thought for a moment, then offered, "There are spiders in the forest looking for a master."

Tom raised a single eyebrow. "A master?"

Ena nodded. "I'm going to go change now. I'm in my pajamas under these robes."

Tom moved out of her way and Ena returned to her section of the dorm and to the bathroom, brushing any other leaves out of her hair and changing into her uniform. She finished just as a second year named Sybil lumbered into the bathroom, yawning widely.

"Morning," she mumbled.

Ena smiled back at her and put her dirtied clothes to the side to be cleaned. She joined Tom as he was leaving the Commons, falling into step beside him on the way to the Great Hall.

"Are you planning on sneaking around the castle, too?" he asked when they were alone.

Ena shook her head. "I like how it smells outside much more."

Tom chuckled. "I suppose that's true." He took a seat at the Slytherin table, making room for her. "About what I was talking about yesterday," he began, "I want you as a part of it."

The red haired girl shot him a surprised look. "You want me to help you change the world?" she asked with a small smile.

"I do. Can you imagine how much better the wizarding world would be? All purebloods. No freaks to speak of."

Ena's smile faltered. She had missed that part of his explanation. She looked at her empty plate. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Yeah, of course!" Tom answered quickly. "Ask your parents about it, too! I want as many strong wizards in it as possible!"

Ena didn't correct him as he turned to another Slytherin. As more people filled the Hall, her mind returned to the werewolf. She wanted to ask Professor Rain about it, but he was away on a family emergency. Maybe Professor Dumbledore would know about werewolves in general and she could refine the information into what she needed when she needed it.

After she had finished eating, she caught up with Dain and walked with him through the halls. Dain was unusually silent, eyes downcast and features screwed up in thought. Ena hesitated, then leaned over and nudged his shoulder.

"Everything okay?"

Dain jumped and looked at her. "Oh, yeah! Just trying to figure out a puzzle." He stopped at a staircase that Ena thought led to the Watchtower, but she wasn't sure. "See you in Herbology?"

"Yup. Hope you figure it out!" Ena smiled at him and headed to class.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore chuckled as she approached him. "I assume you have another question of the day?"

Ena grinned at him. "How does someone become a werewolf?"

The professor's smile dropped, replaced briefly by concern. "This isn't something you're intending to become, is it?"

"No. Dain told me about his parent's job and I think it's what I want to do."

He smiled again. "Ah, the study of magical creatures. It truly is an amazing business." He took a seat and faced her completely. "While this is typically a Defense Against the Dark Arts subject, lycanthropy can be transferred in two typical ways and one, less typical. The less typical of the three is being cursed. For instance, a witch may curse a man, saying he is a cheating dog, as one of my students called her sweetheart, and transform him into a werewolf through those means."

"Can the witch undo the curse?"

"Possibly, but I do not believe that such a thing has ever happened. Now, the second way is from being infected by a creature already suffering lycanthropy. The third is through gene transference. Though rare, if a child is born of two werewolves, they can also become one through their blood."

Ena nodded thoughtfully, mulling it over. "Thank you," she said, walking to her seat.

Professor Dumbledore watched her with a faint smile. She was certainly something.

 

 


	7. Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this chapter before it was done. Sorry about that!

Ena walked into the Great Hall early, as Dain had requested when he found out that it was her birthday. It was a full moon, too, so she'd be going into the forest later for the werewolf. Christmas break was coming soon, but she probably wouldn't go home. Ena sat down at the Hufflepuff table next to Dain, who looked up with a worried expression that quickly gave way to a smile.

"Happy birthday, Ena," he told her, smiling as he handed her a small, gold wrapped package. "Sorry it isn't that great, but it was short notice."

"It was only short notice because I didn't tell you," Ena reminded him. "Thank you for getting me something anyway." She unwrapped it and looked down at the carefully wound book. She smiled at the dragon image on the cover, then opened it and slowly turned through, recognizing Professor Rain's neat handwriting among the images of other beasts.

"Since he's the house head, I sent him an owl and asked if he could help me write everything. I've got really terrible handwriting," Dain said quickly, making Ena shoot a look at him. She'd seen his handwriting and really didn't think that it was that bad, especially considering that hers looked like a doctor's chicken scratch. "I took all of the stuff I could from what I have here of my parent's notes on wild creatures and put it together for you. Some of it isn't even in real books, so I thought you'd like it."

"It's fantastic," she murmured, returning her focus to the book and slowly turning the pages. "Thank you, Dain."

He grinned. "This is gonna be tough to top for the next few years, isn't it?"

Ena laughed. "It's going to be tough for  _me_  to top, too," she said. At his confused look, she explained, "I'll owl you something good over the summer if I have to."

Dain laughed as he stood. "I've got to go," he said, starting to step away.

"What? But you haven't eaten yet." Ena glanced pointedly at the empty tables.

He shrugged. "There's studying I have to do. I'll eat later."

Ena brightened. "I could help you. I'm a little ahead in Transfiguration, so-"

"No!"

Ena stopped, startled, and a few of the other kids who were already in the hall looked over curiously. They whispered together and Ena caught the name of her house, uttered like it was a curse.

"I mean, I'm fine. It's, it's for charms. All good. Bye." He turned and walked quickly away, his shoulders hunched.

Ena watched him go, then slipped the book into her bag and stood, moving back to the Slytherin table. She hadn't really noticed it before, but it seemed like the table was darker than the Hufflepuff one. She looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression, then over at the Gryffindor table, where there was an excess of torches. Maybe once she was better at spells, she'd put up more torches for Slytherin, too.

"Heya, birthday girl," Tom said, striding in and taking his usual seat beside her. "Have you thought about my offer?" He handed her a box. "That's your present, by the way."

"I have thought about it." Ena paused. "And for now, I'd like to refuse. I want to learn more about magic, my own magic, before I make any kind of decision regarding the fate of the entire wizarding world." She shot him a wry grin and he chuckled back.

"That's why I like you. You actually have your own brain. Keep it in mind, and tell me for sure at some point, alright?"

Ena nodded, opening the box. It was a silver snake ring, with an emerald gem as the eye. "Thank you," she said, putting it on. When she lifted her hand, though, it slid right off.

"It's a bit big," Tom mused. "I can get it resized." He held out his hand.

"No, it's alright. I'd like to wear it for a long time, and I'm still growing, so I'll probably grow into it," she said lightly, slipping it into her bag with Dain's book.

"Alright," the dark haired boy agreed, settling back.

As the rest of the students entered, owls swooped down. A large great gray landed in front of Ena and set down two packages. Ena reached out, brushing her fingers through its feathers, and it pecked affectionately at her hand before spreading its massive wings and taking flight again.

She opened the first package, from her dad, and let out a laugh. Tom leaned over curiously and she showed the book of snakes to him. "My dad wanted to know what kind of snake was Slytherin's mascot. I think he's planning to get one for me, if it's actually a nonmagical kind."

"Do you want a pet snake?" Tom asked.

"I'm not sure. I like the idea, but I've never had something that eats live animals and the idea does make me a little uncomfortable. When I told my dad that he said that he'd find a vegetarian snake." At Tom's frown, she laughed and continued, "Yeah, it was a nice suggestion, but the snake wouldn't be very healthy, I don't think. There is an American snake that eats insects that I kind of like." She flipped through the book, finding the Opheodrys aestivus and showing it to him. "It's little, too."

Tom hummed in answer, taking the book and reading about the green grass snake before he flipped through more pages. "You must be close to your parents," he murmured.

"Yeah, they're great." Ena reached for the other package, which was from her mom. "It would be pretty cool if Slytherin's crest really was a specific snake, don't you think?"

Tom's eyes turned thoughtful. "Maybe it is." He looked up as the food appeared on the table and started filling his plate.

"Probably not a normal one, though," she said with a laugh. She focused on the package as she opened it. "My mom sent fluffy socks." She smiled at the fluffy green and black socks. "In Slytherin colors."

"What house were your parents in?" Tom asked, munching on a piece of toast as she put them in her bag.

"They didn't go to Hogwarts."

"Oh? Where, then? Beauxbatons? Castelobruxo? I heard that Ilvermorny is a good one, and if the snake you're interested in is American..."

"They didn't go to any of them." Ena picked up a plate for herself.

"Oh, self-taught, then."

Ena started to correct him and was interrupted by a whirling pancake that hit Tom in the face. The Gryffindor table erupted into laughter. Ena looked over at the table, startled, half wondering if they had used a levitation charm to get it so far. A bright green light flashed in her vision and she turned sharply, looking at Tom as he shoved a hand into his robes for his wand. Nothing would have caused the light, but the thought of it sent a surge of concern through Ena and she reached out, grabbing Tom's arm as he pulled out his wand. His focus snapped to her, teeth partially bared and fury lighting his eyes.

"They aren't worth it. Calm down. They're just acting like they think rivals should act."

Tom kept his wand half raised for a long moment, the yew wood emitting a green glow. With a long, slow breath, Tom lowered his wand. He slowly stood and walked out, followed by Avery and a few other Slytherin boys that Ena didn't know. She sighed softly, rubbing her eyes. That green light had given her a horrible feeling.

* * *

Ena's Charms book was no help. For each spell it had the symbol, words, meaning of the words, and color. She guessed that the spell was for a higher class, which probably meant she should ask one of the older members of her house. 

"Ah, I see you are attempting to work Charms into Transfiguration," Professor Dumbledore said, stopping at her desk.

Ena looked at him, thinking for a moment, then she asked, "What spells are green?"

The professor frowned gravely. "That is hardly a question for a first year."

"Tom's wand was glowing green, and there was a green flash when he was pulling it out. I just want to know how he did it."

The frown lightened, then deepened. "In the Great Hall this morning? There was no glow, green or otherwise." He paused. "Are you sure you saw it?"

Ena nodded, hesitantly asking, "Is Tom going to get in trouble?"

The professor hastily smiled. The quick change didn't make her feel better. "No, no. I'll just be keeping an eye on him. You'll learn about those spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts in a few years." With a final smile, the professor walked away.

Ena considered looking at her Defense Against the Dark Arts book herself, but why would Tom be using dark magic for something like a pancake to the face? Even if it was a rude act, dark magic seemed rather extreme.

She closed her book as class ended and headed to Potions, still trying to think of why Tom would go so far as to use dark magic. Though, maybe it wasn't dark magic, maybe it was something that could be used against dark magic. She wasn't sure what, but the class wasn't particularly interesting to her and she didn't really have any friends in it, so she could easily have missed something, assuming they'd mentioned any spells that fit.

As she entered the dungeon classroom, Rubeus looked up to greet her. He spoke as she sat down, before she could even greet him, "I'm sorry about my friends."

Ena smiled warmly at him. "It's okay. I'm just glad that nothing bad happened."

Rubeus hesitated to get back into their old conversation about centaurs, but before long they were back to discussing the strange fascination the beasts had with stars. Professor Slughorn shook his head as usual at the strange friendship between the two before giving the class a simple potion to make. Rubeus started measuring in the ingredients, checking with Ena at each ingredient as she kept the book open between them and passed him each item as it came up.

"Just two drops of this," she told him, handing him gelatinized flornap juice. She hoped that Dain's gift to her included what a flornap was.

"Ena," Professor Slughorn said, approaching. "I've noticed your proficiency in potions making and I'd like for you to-"

"Oops," Rubeus said, recoiling with one arm outstreched to push Ena back as well.

Ena turned to him, her eyes wide, as the potion started bubbling and frothing. "You added too many drops. It's okay." She grabbed the knotgrass, waving her wand in a S shape to lower the heat, and dropped four strands of grass into the potion. It stopped bubbling and developed a gelatinous appearance. Ena blinked at it, tentatively poking it with her quill. It wobbled. "Sorry, I ruined the potion."

"Why'd you throw in knotgrass?" Professor Slughorn asked, pulling on a dragonskin glove and picking up the cauldron.

"I remembered that you said it slowed reactions when Boomslang skin is also used," Ena replied, speaking partialy to Hagrid. "So I hoped that the knotgrass would have enough of a change that it would slow the reaction without gelatinizing the potion. I added too much."

"You did well. Next time, use this." He held up a vial with three hooked items in it. "Do you know what it is?"

Ena winced and shook her head, but Rubeus offered, "Hippogriff nail?"

"Very good! Five points to Gryffindor." Professor Slughorn beamed and Rubeus sat up proudly.

He moved away, leaving them to restart the potion. After checking with Rubeus, Ena quickly redid it until the point Rubeus had been. She started coaching him again, remembering to return the heat to normal at the last minute. When they finally got it to its correct, creamy silver appearance, Rubeus grinned proudly at Ena. Everything felt back as it should be, and she had all but forgotten about Tom.

* * *

At the end of the day, skipping dinner so she had enough time, Ena headed to the lake to see Pheus. He grinned and pulled her into the water without hesitation.

"Come on, come on, before you go see your wolfy, I have a party for you!"

Ena laughed. "Thank you, Pheus."

The merman beamed at her and pulled her deeper, toward the underwater palace.

She had started going back and forth between the lake and the forest after too much exploration away made the merman splash her every time she came close to the lake. When she teased him about being jealous, he had splashed her even more.

Music was playing in the palace, making her laugh, and there were different dishes that Ena had hesitantly tried. Pheus proudly told her that they had _cooked_ some of it just for her. Ena learned that she didn't like eel, she liked seaweed with whatever raw, unpronounceable fish it was that was Pheus's favorite but not on its own, and Pheus had whooped noisily when she told him that some of the raw foods were just as good as the cooked. She made sure to thank the maids and cooks, and she had met one of Pheus's brothers, the one who would be king after their father, who was out on a diplomatic meeting, died.

His name was difficult to pronounce and he had finally told her that she was close enough when she called him Asten _._  His hair looked silver as it drifted through the water, his eyes and skin pale as was fitting for a mer of the Black Lake. He gave her pearl earrings that were from everyone else in the palace as thanks for the joy she had brought to their soon-to-be ambassador and taught her another quick dance as other mers played music, asking her to take care of his brother when he went onto the surface. Pheus had quickly cut in, then, giving her a jeweled necklace and an invitation to return to the palace whenever she needed it.

Pheus had gained a little weight as winter grew, but he had given Ena a lecture on how mers were able to control it and it was just a way to stay warm if the lake froze after he thought she was staring. He had also started to look different, his eyes less pale, his skin a little less translucent, small things, as his training continued. He had also gotten addicted to bread, especially the honeyed variation, and he usually made sure to remind her to bring him more whenever he saw her.

The party ended as the sky grew dark, and Pheus saw her to the surface, ignoring Asten's call that he had to help clean up.

 "One of these days, I want to meet your wolfy," Pheus said as Ena used the drying spell that Professor Dumbledore had taught her.

"I don't know how safe it would be, but I could try to bring him out here when its warmer and you don't look so tasty."

"I'm not fat! Think of it as blubber!" he snapped indignantly.

"You know, I'm only teasing you because you get so embarrassed about it. Chill out, Pheus. You look perfectly fine."

He scowled at her, sharp teeth glinting.

"I mean it! Besides, your tail looks edible. I was talking about that. I don't know how hungry he gets, so I don't want you put in any danger, okay?"

Pheus pouted and slowly lowered his body beneath the water to just show his eyes. "Happy birthday," he mumbled, though through the water it sounded like "Hobby babay."

"Thank you, Pheus. And you, too, Asten!"

There was a splash and Pheus turned, diving into the water after his brother. Ena could tell he was shouting, but she had no idea what was being said.

Ena straightened and walked into the forest, stepping quickly because she didn't want to be late. When she neared the tree she slowed, listening. The beast's growl confirmed that it had transformed. Ena walked up to it and it lifted its head, crooning when it saw her.

"Hey, how you feeling?" she murmured gently, smiling to it. She quickly looked it over and relaxed, pleased. "I'm glad you haven't hurt yourself." She picked up the key and unlocked the padlock, letting it climb out. When she sat down, it settled its head in her lap and growled out at the night.

After the second full moon night, it had started to believe her that she would come back and stopped struggling with the chains. Ena always let it go after making sure that it hadn't gotten hurt, but it stayed with her, and she hoped that it stayed where it was after she left, too.

"You know," she said mildly, "Today's my birthday. I didn't tell Rubeus because I didn't want him to get in trouble with his friends for getting something for someone in Slytherin, but Dain and Pheus both gave me presents. Tom did too, but he's in my house, so it wasn't weird. He's also not a mer. That's sort of strange on its own, I think."

The werewolf shifted, turning its blazing blue eyes up toward her.

"This is the first birthday I haven't spent with my family, but it's okay. I really love it here. I'm probably going to get tons of gifts when I get back. They always get me a lot, but it's probably hard to send it all by owl." Ena traced a scar on the beast's shoulder with a sad expression. "Lycanthropy sounds pretty bad. I can't imagine what it's like for the person you are for the rest of the month."

Sometimes she talked to it, sometimes she tried to name the constellations, and sometimes she tried finding other things to do, and one of those had been counting its scars. Or at least the scars she could see. It had fourteen very prominent scars, twenty-two scars that made the fur go a strange way but were hard to see, and probably more that were from small nicks and scrapes. She guessed that they had all been from trying to escape whatever chains it had been bound in for as long as it had been a werewolf. A few might have been from when he was turned, but Ena tried not to think about that. She imagined that the human form was young; the werewolf was rather small, like a pup.

"You're going to get much bigger, aren't you," she said softly, and the beast crooned back. "Sometimes I wonder if you're someone I know, someone in my house, even, but it would be cruel of me to stay for your transformation. It's your life, and your curse. I hope it doesn't scare you that you, I mean the other you, to wake up out of the chains. Don't worry, though, no matter who you are, I haven't told anyone about you."

The werewolf blinked at her. It always seemed to listen when she talked, and even though she wasn't sure, she imagined that it listened and understood what she said.

"My friend Dain, he's in Hufflepuff. Everyone in my house kind of seems to think that people from Hufflepuff are lame, but Dain's a great person. He's really kind and he helped me talk to Rubeus again. I've noticed that a lot of people call him by his last name, Karo, like they do to Rubeus, whose last name is Hagrid, but I wouldn't like that. I mean, I like my last name, it's Leifa and I think that it's pretty, but I wouldn't like being referred to by the name of my parents. I mean, can you imagine going around expected to be exactly who your parents are like that?"

The werewolf made a funny noise and Ena looked down at it.

"Did you just laugh at me? Oh, you did  _not_  just laugh at me. Especially when I'm talking about someone who actually knows a thing or two about werewolves."

The werewolf made the noise again and rolled its eyes again.

Ena moved away from it, greatly affronted. "I'm trying to be all helpful here. I don't know how much you remember when you turn back."

The werewolf raised its head to look at her, continuing the noise.

"Hmph." Ena crossed her arms and turned her face away, frowning.

The werewolf stopped and stepped forward, stretching out its nose to nudge her arm. When Ena continued to ignore it, it stepped closer and stuck its nose against her neck.

"That's cold!" she yelped, leaping away.

"You've got total cold dog nose!" She rubbed her neck. "Wait, does that mean that you're cold?" Ena pulled off her robe and held it out. "Want to use this? I can use my other one tomorrow."

The werewolf studied her robe, then snorted and settled itself onto the ground again. Ena draped her rope over it like a blanket and leaned back, resting her head on its back against the robe. "Okay. Where were we?" She searched the sky, watching her breath cloud the air but not feeling any cold. "That star is Sirius, the dog star. There isn't a wolf star, but I read in astronomy that there was a thing called a wolf-rayet star that's really beautiful." She continued talking, her voice eventually lulling the beast into sleep.


	8. Lacking Slugs

"You got invited into the Slug Club?" Dain laughed. "That's hilarious!"

Ena groaned. "And because I'm staying when everyone leaves tomorrow, I'm invited to his Christmas Party."

"Oh, you poor baby," Dain teased, flipping through his Transfiguration book. "You're favored by a brilliant teacher and your house head. The horror."

"It's called  _Slug Club_! No one understands what a horrible name that is?" Ena's eyes brightened suddenly and she looked sharply at him. "You're staying over break, right? Why don't you come to the club with me? You're allowed to bring guests!"

"Uh, it's tomorrow?" Dain frowned, thinking. "Sorry, I can't."

Ena groaned. "Is Rubeus staying? Maybe I could have him come." She paused, then sighed and thumped her head against the table. "No. I won't ask. I wouldn't want him to have problems with his friends."

"'S that why you didn't tell me it was your birthday a bit ago?" Rubeus asked, making them both jump as he shuffled from behind a bookshelf. "Because you didn't want me to have problems with my friends in Gryffindor?"

Ena glanced at Dain, who looked over the top of his book for a moment before sinking slowly out of sight. She turned back to Rubeus. "I...yeah."

Rubeus grumbled and sat down. "You should'a told me. I found out from Tom."

"I didn't know that you knew Tom," Ena said, surprised.

"Didn't, until I apologized to him for the rest throwin' stuff that hit him. He's nice, like you, and asked me 'bout what I got for you."

Ena winced. "I'm sorry."

Rubeus set down a box. "Supposed to be your Christmas gift, but it's kinda both, I suppose," he said quietly.

Ena carefully opened the box, lifting out the pale green book. "Dragons of the World," she murmured, tracing the golden title with her fingertips. Her eyes lit up and she opened it, flipping through. "This is fantastic! Now I have two different books on magical creatures!"

"Shush!" The librarian glared at them.

Ena covered her mouth to hide her grin.

"So, what were you talkin' 'bout not invitin' me to?"

"The Slug Club Christmas Party," Ena told Rubeus. "I don't want to go alone."

"You could just not go," Dain pointed out, flipping a page and making a note on the parchment next to him. "You won't be punished, right?"

"I don't think so, but then Professor Slughorn would be disappointed," Ena pointed out. "And I don't want to-"

"Professor Dumbledore," Rubeus said, tone gruff with surprise. Dain and Ena turned as the man approached with Professor Slughorn, a grave expression on their faces.

They both stood in silence, then Professor Dumbledore nudged his companion. Professor Slughorn shot him an unhappy look and Professor Dumbledore looked steadily forward. Professor Slughorn grimaced, then slowly said, "Ena, you, your mother, there's, something happened.

Ena frowned. "What do you mean? Is she okay?" she asked, gaze searching the two faces.

Professor Dumbledore remained silent and nudged Professor Slughorn again. Clearly unhappy with being the one to have to speak, Professor Slughorn stated, "She feels no pain any longer."

Professor Dumbledore winced.

Ena's eyes widened, then she took a deep breath and her face went smooth. "Is my brother okay? Was it something at work? Is my dad still on the training mission he wrote me about?"

"Your brother is fine," Professor Dumbledore said gently. "He was not involved. Your father has returned from his mission, so your brother is being looked after. At the moment, there is not a set date for the funeral. Professor Slughorn is able to take you there if you wish."

Ena stood frozen for a moment, carefully processing the word funeral. "Yes. Please do," she whispered at last. To Dain and Rubeus she murmured, "I'll see you after break."

Professor Slughorn took her arm, looking sympathetically at her, and they apparated away.

* * *

 

"Ena!" Rubeus and Dain both met her outside of the school as she arrived and Ena stopped short, her eyes wide.

"You were waiting for me?" she asked, surprised.

"We were worried." Rubeus stepped forward and squeezed her in a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good. It was, the funeral, I mean, very nice. Dad wanted me to come back with everyone else, though, and he's probably right. There are some things I sort of dropped without warning." Ena grimaced in an attempt at a smile, glancing toward the Forbidden Forest. She had missed two full moons and hadn't given Pheus any forward warning. Both of the creatures were probably furious with her. She might be able to explain with the mer, but the werewolf probably wouldn't listen if it were angry.

"Ena, your mom died," Dain said. "You're allowed to leave quickly."

Ena looked at Dain to answer and her eyes widened. "What happened to you?" She stepped closer, her eyes darting over the cuts on his face, his arm in the cast, bandages on his neck.

Dain winced. "I fell down steps, into plants and glass shelving."

"It must hurt." Ena reached out tentatively, but lowered her hand before she made contact.

"It's fine. I get hurt a lot. What do you expect with such giant feet?" He smiled and balanced on one foot, trying to show her his shoe size.

Ena laughed, the sound torn between actual amusement and pained. "Okay. Did I miss anything good?"

They started toward the castle, Rubeus walking on her right and Dain on her left.

"Well, there was this big fight between Peeves and that girl that yelled at you way back when," Dain said after a moment of thought.

"Simone? Yeah, I guess Peeves is still made at her."

"For what?" Rubeus asked.

Ena shrugged. "She called me some names."

"Some creatures in the Forest and on the edges were killed," Rubeus said after Ena didn't elaborate. "The professors kept us inside the castle for most of it while they were investigating, but they think it was just some big animal."

That made Ena frown. Two full moons, a decently sized werewolf, and some dead animals. She didn't comment as Rubeus pushed open the door and they stepped inside.

In a rush of cold air, Peeves swept down in front of her and scowled for a moment before grumbling, "Condolences." He hovered there for a moment, then swiveled and flew away again.

Ena blinked. "That was interesting."

"It's kind of funny," Dain commented. "He likes you, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure why. I'm going to go back to my House. I've got to talk to a few friends and make sure they don't totally hate me for not saying goodbye. See you later, guys. Thanks for coming to meet me." She waved and jogged down to the dungeon.

"Ena?" Tom looked up from his book as she entered. "Hey, you're back."

"Um, yeah. Hi." Ena stopped, glancing at the fireplace.

"I heard that one of your parents died. What happened?"

"There...there was an accident in the lab my mom worked at. She died saving some of her coworkers. It was good to see them with their families at the funeral, even if my mom didn't make it." She folded her hands behind her back.

"Sorry for your loss."

Ena smiled. "I'm going to go up to my bed." She walked to her area and found her bed untouched, the robe she left with the werewolf folded on top of it. She put it away. The house elves must have cleaned it, though she wasn't sure how they had gotten it back to her when she hadn't given it up to be cleaned.

Something moved by the window and Ena looked up. A mermaid she recognized from her party swam back into view, then darted away. A moment later, it returned, dragging someone else that Ena guessed was Pheus. She was reminded of her wizard card, when Salazar tried to pull someone else into view. She would have to go see his portrait to see if she got the same reaction.

The mermaid managed to pull Pheus into view and the merman glared at her. Ena winced, pressing her hands together. He turned and swam away.

Ena went back downstairs and glanced around, checking that no one was in. Tom had left. She slipped out the fireplace and ran down the secret path to the shore, then dove into the icy water.

"What do you want?" Pheus grumbled, appearing almost instantly in front of her.

"I-"

"I thought that the wolf had killed you!"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't accept your apology! You just vanished! What possible justification could you have for that?"

Ena hesitated, then said, "My mom died."

Pheus's face went slack. "I am so sorry." He swam closer and hugged her tightly. "I'm really sorry."

"I kind of left without thinking. Sorry, Pheus."

He sighed, bubbles floating up from his hair. "Come on. Everyone has been worried about you." He pulled her through the water to the mer city, weaving slowly around her in something like a dance. Ena was glad that they were underwater. Being back with Pheus made her feel like crying again. She had been fine at the funeral until she saw her father start to cry.

Ban had cried almost the entire time. He was only nine. When their dad tried to make them feel better by handing out the Christmas presents, Ban hadn't been able to open any of the ones from their mother.

Pheus turned back to her and his eyes widened. "Ena, you're crying."

"No I'm not," Ena said swiftly, rubbing her eyes.

Pheus looked mournfully at her, then switched direction and pulled her toward the spot he'd pointed out to her before where shells washed up. "Pick some. I can make you a necklace," he offered. "You can put that stone that the professor gave to you on it, too."

After wasting a moment considering telling him she didn't need him to make her anything, Ena reconsidered and climbed onto the shore. After a quick drying spell so she didn't get frozen in the frosty air, Ena slowly looked through the shells. Pheus rested his arms on a rock, keeping his upper body out of water so he could watch her.

Somehow, she managed to find shells that almost completely matched. She handed him two black curly shells, two that were white with pink stripes, two small purple shells, and a pair of coiled blue shells. "Are those good?"

"Yeah, they're perfect." Pheus held out his hand for her necklace, water streaming off of the fins between his fingers. Ena set it in his hand. "Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you, alright?"

"Okay. Hey, Pheus?" He stopped starting to slide back underwater and looked inquisitively at her. "Thank you."

Pheus lifted himself a little further out of the water and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "You don't have to be happy, Ena. It's okay. I'm here for you no matter what." He flipped and dove deep under the water again without giving her a chance to reply.


	9. Silver Moonlight

Ena shifted nervously on the Forest border, her fingers running over the shells. Pheus had softened them all to about the same size and set them around the breathing stone whose name she could never remember. It was beautiful. Dain had asked about it, and she had said that it was a gift. She wanted to tell him and Rubeus, but what if it put them in danger? Creatures liked her. Other people...hit or miss.

With a deep breath, Ena walked into the Forest. Her shoes crunched on the icy ground as the full moon loomed overhead, casting a glow over every ice covered tree. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the massive, chained tree. It was abandoned, frozen blood coating the locked chains. More blood spattered across the snow.

"Hello?" she called. When nothing happened, Ena scanned the ground with pursed lips. She set off after the blood trail, occasionally slipping in the ice and quickly catching herself. Abruptly, the blood stopped. Ena looked around, rubbing the necklace more quickly. "Please come out," she whispered, her gaze sweeping the dark trees. "I'm sorry I left but I had to."

A branch snapped above her and before Ena could react, the werewolf dropped from the trees and onto her, knocking her to the ground. Blood dripped on the snow next to her from areas of torn flesh and a gouge above its eye. The wound on its eye almost looked like it had been self inflicted; blood covered the claws of one foot.

"Oh, no," Ena murmured, pushing herself up. "I, I can fix this. I need a plant with regenerative properties. I need, what do I need, horsetail? That stops bleeding, right? What else? Cone flower! That helps!"

The werewolf stalked in circles around her, dragging its front leg and creating the odd scuff she hadn't seen in the snow by the blood.

"I don't know where to find any of that out here!" Ena realized with a groan. "What are healing spells? Would Episkey work? Maybe for the minor wounds." Ena drew her wand and the werewolf drew back. "Episkey!" Soft gold light swept from her wand and traced around her arm, healing the scratches on her hands from where she had fallen. "No, not on me, on him! Episkey!" Ena pointed the wand at the wolf and the gold light curled around him, but if anything changed, Ena couldn't tell, but the werewolf shook its head vigorously, spattering more blood on the snow.

"Oh, no, don't do that," Ena cried, moving closer. "You're agitating your wounds, and I don't know any healing spells! I only learned this one from when Tom healed Avery after a fight with a Gryffindor." She reached out and touched the werewolf's face, covering his bleeding eye with her hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm just, I'll try again. Maybe I need to be closer."

Ena drew her wand again and cast the spell, but nothing happened. She groaned, her head lowering. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have left like that. I wasn't thinking." Her voice softened even more as she lifted her head again, returning her wand to her sleeve and brushing her fingers over the wound. It had just missed the werewolf's eye. "Look at what you've done to yourself."

After a moment of still silence broken only by the werewolf's pants, it slumped to the ground and set its head next to her leg. Slowly, Ena moved her hand and pressed it against the injury. The werewolf growled, but didn't move away.

"I'm sorry. It must hurt. The bleeding needs to stop."

The werewolf growled again, but it was a lower sound, more plaintive than angry.

"I didn't mean to leave like that. I was going to stay."

It whined into her robes.

"I know. I'm so sorry."

They both fell silent and when Ena finally lifted her hand again, blood didn't immediately resume its flow, so she counted that as a success, however minor. She wiped her hand in the snow beside her. She would need to shower and change before classes. They sat there a little longer, the werewolf's breathing evening out and the tension flooding out of it. Ena watched the sky until it began to brighten, then she carefully stood.

"I have to go," she said. "But I'll be back."

The werewolf lifted its head and uttered a soft crooning sound, then lowered its head to rest on its paws again. Ena stood and started to step away, then paused and turned back.

"Even if I do disappear like that again," she said. "Don't hurt yourself like this, okay? I can't be around forever."

The werewolf repeated the sound, then huffed. She had to take what she could get, Ena supposed as she left.

* * *

 

 

Ena reached the Hall as breakfast was just beginning and took her usual seat beside Tom. The Slytherin house was in the lead in points, she noticed as she glanced at the roster. Tom was already talking to some others about the quidditch game.

"I'd love flying," Ena said when he paused. "I can't wait for the lessons next year."

"I heard that they're going to rearrange a lot of the course expectations pretty soon. Too many first years passed out with the mandrakes, for one." Tom nodded.

"Ooh, I remember that," Ena murmured, nodding. Her eyes widened. "I just realized, I'm going to be a second year so soon!" She grabbed a plate, grinning. "Isn't it great? I'm going to be in tons more classes!"

"Well, not really," he replied, amused. "You'd need something special to get around more."

"And I need to work on dialing back my magic power in Charms. Watch this." Ena drew her wand. "Lumos." It flared brightly enough that several others at connecting tables winced, then poofed out.

"Hey, you could call it the Blinding Lumos." Tom laughed. "Now hurry and hide your wand before anyone knows it was you."

Ena briefly looked guilty and quickly slipped it into her robes again.

* * *

 

As she left, Dain caught up with her. Ena turned to him with a smile that froze when she saw the eyepatch he wore. "What-"

"I'm a pirate," he said, grinning. "See, wooden arm, too." He held up his arm in the cast.

Ena took a step back, her gaze on his neck. Barely, just barely, she could see a healing gash. "Dain, are you..." She stopped and looked at his face again. What would he do if he knew that she had found out? What if she was wrong?

Dain blinked expectantly at her, tas Ena continued to study him, her gaze conflicted. At last, the red haired girl let out a long sigh.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Know?" Dain proudly succeeded in making his voice normal.

"About how clumsy you are. Always getting hurt."

"Oh," he sighed. "Yeah, Madame Syla in the medical wing, but not many others really care to ask."

"Madame Slya," Ena repeated thoughtfully. "I'm going to ask her to teach me healing magic," she said as they began walking.

"Why?"

"I don't like seeing you hurt, so I want to learn ways I can help fix it."

Dain smiled. "That's really nice of you, but I'm okay. Really. Besides, healing magic is really complicated. I just tell them not to bother with it on me at this point."

"Is it? Episkey worked."

"When did you use Episkey?"

"I fell down and cut my hands." Ena held up her hand. "But you can't tell, see?"

"Oh, yeah, look at the lack of that." Dain nodded seriously.

Ena laughed. "Okay, okay, but I did cast it, and it worked. Oh, yeah, I want to go see the painting of Salazar Slytherin later, too, if you want to come. There's something I want to check."

"Okay. I'll see you later." He waved and walked away.

Ena started to class as Peeves swept by, hurling water balloons at people. Angry cries shot around the corridor and Ena dodged one that Peeves threw at her, which was purple and had flowers on it. The poltergeist stuck his tongue out at her and darted away.

"Ah, man," a Slytherin girl moaned. "He soaked my homework."

Ena walked over to her and helped her pick it up. She carefully cast the drying spell and was relieved when the papers didn't catch fire or anything else unintended. "There you go."

"Whoa, nice! I'm Margaret." She held out a hand. "You're friends with Tom, right?"

"Yeah." Ena shook her hand. "I'm Ena."

She and Margaret walked to class together and Margaret went to sit with her friends while Ena approached Professor Dumbledore.

"Question of the day?" he asked, amused.

"Yes. Healing magic. Is it difficult?"

"If you have a natural proficiency in it, no. If not, yes. Most people can use the simpler magic spells, such as Episkey or Curare, but there are also more complex spells such as Renasti."

"Are Episkey and Curare about the same?"

"Curare is a little more extreme, but yes."

"If I wanted to learn more on healing magic, who would I go to?"

"I suppose, Professor Rain or the medical wing."

"Thank you, professor." She went to sit back down and Professor Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head.

"Lovely necklace," he called.

Ena grinned over her shoulder at him and perched on her seat, diving straight into reading her Charms book.

Class flew by because it was mostly a verbal lesson, and the only other thing that happened worth mentioning was that she and Rubeus talked about giant dogs while Peeves flew around throwing chalk and ingredients at students.

At the end of the day, as promised, she and Dain went to see Salazar Slytherin. They were greeted with, "Oh, finally! Took you long enough!"

Ena laughed and Dain shifted nervously.

"Who's that? Oh, well, I suppose with your heritage, someone like him is reasonable."

"My heritage?" Ena asked, puzzled.

"Oh, yes, that's right. You were given up, weren't you. Wait a moment and I'll get your grandfather." He walked out of his portrait and vanished.

"My, what?" Ena frowned.

"Someone like me is reasonable," Dain repeated thoughtfully. "I wonder if he means because of my parents."

"No, no, boy, he means because of  _you,_ " Godric Gryffindor said from one of his portraits. "And really, I don't know what he's thinking. If the girl doesn't know, leave it that way."

"What about me?" Dain frowned.

"What do I not know?" Ena's expression matched his.

"Here we are!" Salazar pulled a red haired man with a narrow face and calculating green eyes into the portrait. "Behold! She lives!" He pointed at Ena, which looked strange on a two dimensional platform.

The man scowled and looked at Ena. His eyes widened. "My word, she's a spitting image."

"Am I supposed to be dead?" Ena tipped her head to the side, her hands folded behind her back.

"Well, you aren't supposed to exist," the man said hesitantly.

Ena blinked. "Oh. Um, why not?"

"Well, you see, in the Ventra Gathering, there is an unspoken law that there may be no relationships. That rule had now been broken twice, once by myself, and once by your mother, my daughter." He chuckled and tugged at his collar. "I suppose we are quite alike."

"Oh." Ena blinked at him, making a mental note to look up _Ventra_. "Well, my mom died, but I've never heard anything of that," she said hesitantly.

"You mean your adoptive mother, I assume?"

Ena frowned. "I'm not adopted."

The man froze for an instant, then turned on Salazar. "You said that she knew!"

"Well, when I first saw her she was with a halfling and this time she's with that one, so I assumed-"

"Don't make assumptions about Ventra! We are an elite community! She is not prepared! The child knows nothing!" The man whipped around and vanished from the portrait.

Salazar stood there awkwardly for a moment, then sidled out of sight and away from them.

"So, that was your grandpa?" Dain asked at last.

"Not that I'm aware of, but, I guess I have a question for my dad," Ena replied slowly.


	10. Blue Blades

Ena walked along the hall, heading for the library where she had planned a study session with Dain. She turned the corner and came to a stop when Simone stepped in front of her.

"Evening, Ena."

"Hello, Simone." Ena turned to face the girl, stepping to the side of the hall so that she was out of the way of any traffic.

"Man, there must be something really wrong with you," Simone sighed. "I mean, you've got the  _worst_  luck. You're a mudblood, you get sorted into Slytherin, your mom dies, yow."

Ena stayed quiet, pressing her palms together.

"I mean, couldn't you at least act more like a Slytherin around people? It only works to be a jerk where everyone can see you." Simone rolled her eyes, then noticed Ena's shell necklace. "Whoa, where'd you get that?"

Ena raised a hand to it. "A friend gave it to me."

Simone snorted. "Oh, I see. Which one? That freakish monster that isn't a real giant or a real wizard?" Ena tensed, her hands curling into fists. "Or that mutt that would make a better mudblood than mage?"

Ena punched her. Straight in the face, keeping her wrist straight and turning her body with the blow. Freakish. When Simone doubled, Ena slammed her knee into the other girl's stomach. Monster. Simone tried to grab for her own wand and Ena caught her arm, twisting it behind the girl's back until it made a popping noise. Mutt.

Ena stepped back. "Don't insult my friends."

"You broke my nose!" Simone lunged at her and Ena caught her good arm. She stepped into it and turned, throwing the Ravenclaw girl to the ground and partly accidentally mostly on purpose ramming her elbow into Simone's face again before she released her. Mudblood. That was all of them, wasn't it?

Ena stepped back again, noticing that there was blood on her robes. Made sense. Simone's nose was bleeding a lot. Was it really broken? Ena had only ever practiced with dummies, and the sparring matches with her parents or brother didn't count because the blows were always softened, so she didn't know if it felt different to break someone's nose.

Ena looked down at Simone, pulling off her own robe. Was Simone unconscious? She definitely didn't look awake. The black polo and knee length black skirt underneath Ena's robes both had a little Slytherin snake on them, over the heart of the polo and on her right side base of the skirt. Her father had insisted on having it made and stitched it in himself before she left.

"Oh." Ena blinked at her arm. Maybe some of the blood was from Simone's nose, but Ena's arm was bleeding too. Ena lifted her sleeve on the robe and looked carefully at it, noticing that people were gathering in a circle. It didn't look like she'd be able to meet Dain. Ena stuck her hand through the hole that didn't belong in her sleeve.

"You know, knives are very dangerous," she told Simone, speaking slowly and carefully. Ena folded her robe and stuck it under her uninjured arm, then tried to start applying pressure to the wound to make it stop bleeding.

Simone didn't react at all.

"Stand aside! Move! Get out of the way!"

Ena looked up as Professors Dumbledore and Beery pushed their way through the crowd. Professor Beery crouched next to Simone, his eyes wide and stunned. "How many times did you hit her, girl?" he snapped, looking up at Ena.

"Four."

"What possible reason could you have for such extreme aggression?"

Before Ena could speak, one of the gathered students pushed her way forward. "I saw it all! Simone was just trying to have a nice conversation with her and that crazy Slytherin attacked her!"

Any defense Ena might have spoken was drowned by other students chorusing an agreement with the girl who first spoke.

Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands to call for silence. "And, do tell, how did Miss Leifa end this attack with a bleeding arm of her own?"

Someone yelled, "Simone tried to defend herself," but another called, "She did it to herself," at the same time, making the blue eyed professor raise an eyebrow.

"Simone is a fantastic student. Never done a thing wrong," Professor Beery snapped, noticing that Professor Dumbledore had a doubtful expression.

"Miss Leifa is quite skilled in my class. I would assume that she could easily have dealt with this in a different manner. Isn't that right, Miss Leifa?"

Ena released her arm, then frowned when it immediately began to bleed again. "She could have been badly hurt if I had used magic." She squeezed her arm tightly.

"Why did you attack her in the first place?"

Ena looked at the professors. "She insulted my friends. She used four words, so I hit her three times. I wouldn't have hit her for the forth, but she tried to grab me so I did anyway." Ena grimaced and looked down at her arm. How much pressure did it want? She couldn't feel her hand.

"Let's get you girls to the infirmary, and we will continue this there." Professor Dumbledore set a hand on Ena's shoulder and gently guided her as Professor Beerly lifted Simone with his levitation spell.

When they got to the infirmary, a younger nurse named Poppy Pomfrey came up to Ena. When Ena showed her that the wound wouldn't close, Poppy scowled and marched over to Simone. When she came back, she held a tiny silver knife with a bluish blade edge.

"That girl used a touch of poison," Poppy snapped. "What was she thinking?"

"Is that why my head hurts?" Ena asked, holding out her arm to let it be wrapped.

"Possibly. You also lost some blood. Can you bend your fingers for me?"

Ena did, wincing when her arm protested. "Will the poison do anything bad?"

"I'll have to find out what it is, but this isn't too deep so you should be fine, deary."

"Okay. I have to meet Dain in the library. I hope he doesn't think I forgot."

"No, I heard you were in a fight," Dain said, practically tripping his way into the wing. "You okay?"

Ena nodded, but his eyes widened when he looked at her arm, which was still bleeding enough to have already stained the bandages. Dain looked at the other bed, where Simone was semiconscious and mumbling that she hadn't done anything to provoke the attack.

She swayed when she tried to nod, blinking. "She insulted you and Rubeus." Ena leaned back quickly as Poppy returned and undid the bandages, applied a sticky goo, and put on new wrappings. They watched with anticipation, but it didn't bleed as heavily so that was a success

"Now, miss Leifa, what were those four words?" Professor Dumbledore asked, walking back over from his low conversation with Professor Beery.

"Oh. Um." She looked at Dain.

"Is this one of the friends she insulted?" Professor Dumbledore studied Dain. "Did you just come running here?"

Dain fidgeted from foot to foot and nodded. "I can leave if I'm not supposed to be here," he said awkwardly.

"No, no, you can stay. With a friend like this one, I may hit someone as well if I were in your position. Now, could you please share the words?"

Ena glanced at Dain again, then quietly said, "Freak, monster, mutt, and," she hesitated and Dain's eyes widened.

"Did she call you a mudblood again?" he asked angrily.

Ena looked sharply at him. "How do you know about that?"

"I heard you talking to Peeves. Did she?"

Ena hesitated, then murmured, "Not me, you."

Dain's visible eye widened, filled with mingled pain and anger.

"Miss Vasquez had called you this, Miss Leifa? When was that?" Professor Dumbledore asked. Ena glanced at Professor Beery and Professor Dumbledore turned to him. Professor Beery looked up from Simone.

"What?"

"Were you aware that Miss Leifa has been called the M-word by Miss Vasquez?"

Professor Beery frowned, and then it dawned on him. "Is that why you asked me about it at the beginning of the year?" he asked, baffled.

"I didn't know what it meant," she said with a small, sheepish shrug. "He was just the most convenient to ask."

"Has she called you this often?"

Ena tipped her head to the side, trying to count on her fingers so she could give him a good number. She sighed and gave up, shrugging. "I didn't count at all after Halloween."

"Ena!" A deep voice made everyone jump, then Ena groaned and leaned her head forward, shutting her eyes. Rubeus pounded in, wide eyed with worry. "Is it true you're gonna loose your arm?" he asked anxiously.

"No, but please turn it down. My head hurts."

Rubeus covered his mouth. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Very good friends," Professor Dumbledore mused.

Poppy squeezed between the boys and set her hand on Ena's head. "Oh, my. You're running quite a fever all of a sudden. Boys, could you please-"

"Let them stay if they want to," Professor Dumbledore interjected. "At least, Rubeus may. I will contact Professor Rain to make sure that Dain may as well."

Poppy hesitated, then nodded. "Let her sleep!" She turned and went to get the head nurse, then stopped and came back. "Do contact Professor Slughorn to find out what this is." She handed Professor Dumbledore the knife.


	11. Memories

Pheus threw a fit when he heard. The poison was something called Lyensenic, made of a liquidized herb called, logically, Lysen. Pheus had ranted about pulling Simone into the lake and drowning her for almost the entire night, constantly grabbing Ena's arm to make sure that the scar stayed as a scar, which made sense because after Poppy though that she had healed it a few times it had continued to reopen, which led to Ena spending two nights in the infirmary while Simone got out the same day.

Simone had been sent home, but not given any other punishment and would be able to come back next year, because she was only a first year and they wanted to give her more chances. Tom had come to visit Ena once when it was pretty empty and they had talked about his perfect world.

"I like how much you believe in refining magic's purity, but I don't think I'll be able to help you with it knowing that there are people, purebloods, like Simone, who would attack other purebloods just for being a little different. I understand if you want to work with people who want to help you and won't be around me as much, but I would like to remain friends," Ena had said.

Tom had adamantly agreed that they could still sit together at breakfast. "After all, I can always bounce ideas off of you. I want this to be the best world it can be."

"Your eyes are glassy. Is your arm bleeding?" Pheus panicked and grabbed her arm.

"No, I was just thinking. I'm going to go back early. I'm really tired, and it's a full moon soon."

"Right, you and the wolfy need to stay awake." Pheus sighed and rested his head on her shoulder as he rose them toward the surface. "Don't get hurt, alright? You keep showing up with these bad surprises, but I'm really worried about you! You need happy things to happen."

"Well, Dain and Rubeus both came running when they heard," Ena offered.

"Really? Running? That's great! I want to meet those two."

Ena's eyes widened. "Would you feel safe with that?"

"Yeah, of course. I mean, they're your friends, right? I want to meet your other friends. I need more people my age." He grinned.

"You're my age?"

"You can't tell?"

"Well, it is a little hard. Maybe it'll be easier when you look more surface adapted. I knew you were younger, but I didn't know you were really close to my age."

"Yep. I've been alive for eleven years, seven months, and, ugh, I can't remember days."

"I didn't know that." Ena stepped onto the shore. "I'll bring them when I have them both. Oh, and, don't mention the wolf."

"Okay." Pheus dove under the water.

Ena dried herself and headed back to the Slytherin room.

"Wow, you're back early. Are you okay?" Tom asked, looking up from his sketch.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. What're you doing?"

He shifted over to show her the drawing of a broken chain. "I want a symbol."

Ena looked at the chain thoughtfully. "Why not a snake?"

"A snake?"

"Yeah. We're in Slytherin. If you're going to change the world for the better, maybe it'll help people believe that we're not all evil, soulless monsters that attack innocent Ravenclaws for no reason."

Tom smirked. "Alright, alright. No need to look so grumpy."

She pouted. "It's just frustrating. She decided to hate me for no reason. She can call me names as much as she wants, but insulting my mom and my friends is too much."

Tom smiled sympathetically, studying the darkness under her eyes. "You've got bags. Go get some sleep."

"Bags?" Ena frowned, not moving.

Tom touched his cheekbone. "Goodnight, Ena."

She sighed and walked away, collapsing into the bed.

Margaret let her sleep until the last moment possible, and when Ena woke up she felt great. She sat between Margaret and Tom and ate a giant breakfast, and then she was ready to crash again. Professor Dumbledore let her take a nap after she turned Travis into a pig, and Travis curled up next to her arm as a piglet.

The day went by fast and Dain made Ena come to the infirmary again because he thought she was lacking vitamins in blood and that was why she was so tired. He was right, and she spent the hour having way too much energy from magical revitalization spells and very sweet tea. Finally, all three of them were in the library.

"Okay, okay, okay, come on, come on, come on!" Ena grabbed them both and started walking backward, pulling the two boys.

"Ena, you're going to crash later. Make sure you get plenty of sleep," Dain told her.

"I will, don't worry, I want you to meet my friend!" Ena dragged them outside.

"It's cold," Rubeus commented.

"Yeah, sorry. Do you think the elves will fix my robe or do I need to do it myself?"

"They'll fix it," Rubeus said.

"Great." Ena stopped at the shore and crouched. "Pheus," she called softly. "I brought them."

"Um, Ena, who are you talking to?" Dain asked.

"He isn't here yet. Give him a second." Ena watched the water expectantly, then grinned when Pheus's orange tail flashed above the water as he approached. He came up and rested on his usual spot with his arms on the rock.

"Okay, so that one's Rubeus, and that one is Dain, right?" he asked eagerly.

"Right. Guys, this is my friend Pheus."

"That's a mer," Dain stated.

"That's a mer!" Rubeus grinned.

"What'd they say? Why did they yell?" Pheus looked anxiously at Ena.

"You don't understand them?" she asked, puzzled.

He shook his head. "I haven't learned the language yet. I always thought you cast a spell on yourself. You didn't?"

Ena shook her head.

Pheus squinted. "You sure you're not part mer?"

Ena held up her hands. "No fins to speak of."

He laughed. "Tell them that I say thanks for watching over you when you got hurt."

Ena repeated it and Dain nodded, still staring at Pheus.

"Do you get cold?" Rubeus asked. "Do you eat fish? How fast can you swim?"

Ena repeated his questions and Pheus replied, letting her relay about the winter blubber, "It's not fat!" Yes, he eats fish. He's never tried to see how fast he can swim.

Rubeus kept launching questions at him and Dain remained mostly silent, sitting and watching Pheus. As it grew darker, Pheus slipped away. The three headed back to the school, Rubeus grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey! You Ena Leifa?"

Ena slowly turned, sighing. Rubeus stepped protectively in front of Ena as the two seventh year Ravenclaw girls approached. They were almost identical.

"You got our little sister kicked out!" they snapped, glaring at Ena.

"Ena didn't do anything," Rubeus said gruffly.

"She was just-"

"Shut up!" The young woman on the right raised her wand and Dain stopped. "I don't care that she's just a first year! She hurt our little sister."

"Simone poisoned Ena!" Dain retorted angrily.

"Shut up!" A bolt of light shot out of the wand and hit Dain in the chest. Ena darted out from behind Rubeus to catch Dain, her eyes wide as he slumped back.

"I, I didn't mean to," the girl whispered, taking a step back.

"He's not moving. Why isn't he moving? Ena, is he okay?" Rubeus asked, his voice rising as he grew more frantic.

"I think so," Ena murmured. "He's already hurt, so it hit him harder than it would have." She checked his pulse.

"Professor!" Rubeus yelled.

* * *

Professor Slughorn was the one to come running after Rubeus yelled, and Dain woke up a little while later in the infirmary with a splitting headache and a burn on his chest. What worried Ena was a gap in memory. He had forgotten everything after when they first got to the infirmary with her supremely sleepy and needing vitamins.

She and Rubeus decided not to tell him about Pheus until they had a good time where he could meet him again. It seemed rather unbelievable, after all. A few nights after, it was the full moon, and Ena slipped away to the forest again.

"Hey, you," she murmured, rubbing its head after she unchained it. "What're you going to do during the summer? I'm not here, and I don't think you will be, either." She set a hand on its chest and it winced. "Dain."

The werewolf didn't react to the name, but Ena was still almost certain that it was him. It didn't matter, though. The wolf was her friend and he was her friend. She stretched and the moonlight caught on her scar, making the wolf sit up.

"Oh, this? Well, I guess  _you_  don't know, even if he does. I hit a girl for insulting you and Rubeus and she cut me for it. It's a pretty nice scar, isn't it?"

The werewolf whined, resting its head in her lap.

Ena stroked his ear, then leaned close and whispered, "You met my mermaid friend but you don't remember it."

The werewolf crooned and rested its back against her side. Ena smiled and whispered another secret, then sat up straight and watched the stars.

The werewolf nudged her arm when the moon started to fade and Ena sat up, yawning. "I'll see you later," she said, scratching one ear before she walked back to the common room. Tom was waiting for her, frowning.

"You shouldn't have gone out. You're still recovering."

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile.

Tom sighed and shook his head, finally murmuring, "Alright, Leifa, but I'll be watching."

 


End file.
